A New World
by EllieOptimistic
Summary: Natsu doesn't know what to expect when Mystogen appears in the Fairy Tail guild hall and sends Gray, Erza, Happy and himself on a job to America, a strange new world where magic doesn't exist. One thing he definitely does not see coming is meeting Lucy, an ordinary American girl whose wildest dreams just might come true when three mysterious teenagers enroll in her high school.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey everybody! Feel free to skip this little author's note if you want to because it's not too important. There are just a few things I wanted you guys to know. First of all, A New World is very much a romance between Natsu and Lucy so if you don't like that I apologize profusely, but encourage you to stay nevertheless because this story is also very fun and has a lot of action, adventure, humor and friendship. Secondly, I want to mention that this story takes place in between the Oracion Seis Arc and the Edolas Arc so this will be the characters' first experience with different worlds. Third, just to let you know, I have already finished writing the whole story and it came out to about 90,000 words and 18 chapters give or take. I mention the giving and taking because I am going back through and editing it as I upload chapters in order to make it as good as possible. That being said, please review because I would love your comments and critiques although I will have to ask you to be kind in your reviews! Alright that's about all that I have to say! I'll finish my ramble by saying that the Fairy Tail characters do not belong to me and that I really hope you enjoy this story because I really had a blast writing it!**

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Prologue

The path to the Fairy Tail guild felt warm and familiar beneath the worn sandals of the traveler. His long navy cloak floated in his wake as he passed through the bustling streets of Magnolia, drawing the attention of the citizens with his aloof and mysterious aura. The tall man's face was shielded by a mask and his hair covered by a bandana, leaving only a small slit for vision. Despite his strange appearance, the town went back to its normal stupor after the traveler turned the corner, the man's presence all but forgotten in their fleeting and easily influenced minds.

Meanwhile, the members of the Fairy Tail were unsuspecting of their incoming visitor. The sunlight shone brightly through the windows of the guild hall, giving a light airy feel to the warm atmosphere inside. Small groups of wizards sat in the long rows of tables and benches while others preferred to sit at the bar with a beautiful young lady with long silvery white hair tending to them with a smile. The request board was filled to the brim with flyers and job descriptions, but no one seemed interested in breaking the lazy flow of a peaceful afternoon with the thought of work.

However, one wizard in particular wasn't satisfied with the subdued mumblings and hazy monotone. His name was Natsu Dragneel, a fire dragon slayer also known as the Salamander and he was currently banging his head against a table.

"I'm so bored." He complained to a few of his friends sitting with him. Another young man looked up at him with obvious disinterest.

"Tell someone who cares, flame brain." Gray replied.

"That's it, ice boy!" Natsu roared, standing up and slapping his hands down on the table, making the drinks that rested on it shake. There was a collective groan from the surrounding audience. "You and me right now, let's go."

"I don't have the time to screw around with a pyromaniac."

"Sounds like you're scared, freeze face." The fire wizard said, the excitement of a challenge glinting in his charcoal eyes. Gray stood up to face him, a scowl growing on his cool complexion.

"Fine. You're on. Just don't cry when I beat the smoke out of your head."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The two boys were now head to head, leaning across the table to stare down their rival. The rest of the guild ignored them. Seeing those two go at it was too often of an occurrence around here. While everyone else turned back to their drinks, a pretty red head sitting at the same table shook her head in annoyance.

"Natsu, Gray. Calm down." At first her casual voice blended into the crowd and wasn't enough to break up the scuffle between the two boys, but then her voice rose into a fierce yell that sent chills down the spine of anyone who knew of Erza's wrath. "I said sit down and shut up before I make you sit down and shut up!"

The very next instance the boys were back in their respective seats, hanging their heads in fear of meeting the S-class wizard's glare.

"Yes, ma'am." Their voices trembled out in unison.

"Ah, that's better." Erza said, completely clam and cheerful, like nothing had happened. "It's a beautiful day, you two shouldn't ruin it with your- what's going on?"

The red head cut off midsentence as she looked around the guild hall. Everyone started to look even sleepier than before. Their eyelids began to slowly fall shut and one by one bodies fell limp to the floor, fast asleep. Soon, the only ones maintaining consciousness were Erza, Natsu, Gray and Fairy Tail's master, Makarov.

"It must be Mystogan." Gray huffed. "That guy always puts the entire guild to sleep when he drops by."

"I know." Erza said, standing up and looking intense. "What's strange is that the three of us are still awake."

"Hey you're right. Maybe I'll get to see his face this time. I was always curious." Natsu said brimming with excitement.

Ignoring him, Erza turned to the Master Makarov. The small old man was sitting cross legged on the bar a little ways away. He silently shook his head, signaling that he didn't know what was going on either.

Then the doors to the guild hall swung upon revealing the cloaked traveler, known to Fairy Tail as Mystogen. With one strange staff held in his hand and several others strapped to his back, Mystogan strode directly towards the master. Not wanting to miss out on the action, Erza, Natsu and Gray followed him in suit.

"Mystogen. It's good to see you, my child." Makarov said, breaking the silence. "Did your job go smoothly?"

"Yes, however, I must discuss with the four of you a matter of grave importance." His voice was deep and confident, but there was a sense of urgency that Fairy Tail's master did not miss.

"The four of us?" Erza asked, also detecting the hint of desperation behind his tone.

"If I may correct myself, I suppose it is the _five_ of you." Mystogan said as he flicked his eyes off to the side. Following his gaze, the wizards so a flash of blue flying in through an open window.

"Hey little buddy!" Natsu cheered as the small blue cat came to a halt and hovered in the air beside his partner. "I was wondering where you were!"

"I was sharing a fish with Carla when she suddenly fell asleep. I can't wake her up!" The big eyes of the exceed were filled with despair.

"It's okay, Happy. She's going to be just fine." Erza said comfortingly.

"Yeah, Mystogen here put everyone to bed because… wait why are you here again?" Natsu said accusingly. Erza shook her head at his rudeness.

"He _is_ a member of Fairy Tail."

"No, the young dragon slayer is right. I do have a purpose for coming." The masked man said.

"Please, child. Speak your mind." Makarov encouraged the mysterious wizard.

"I need your help." He said, turning to Erza, Natsu, Gray and Happy. "I've sensed a magical disturbance and I cannot hope to deal with it alone."

"You need our help?" Gray asked, suspicious.

"It is a very delicate matter. The job I am asking you to do requires travel to an unfamiliar place and to stay there for quite a duration of time."

"Oh no." Natsu moaned. "Don't tell me I have to get on a train."

"No. The place I am speaking of cannot be reached by a train. You must travel to a different world."

At Mystogan's words the Master opened his eyes wide in shock while Erza and Gray narrowed theirs in confusion. Natsu looked dumbfounded.

"A different world?" He echoed.

"It is called America and it is in a universe entirely of its own."

"How do you know of this world?" Erza said, asking only one of the million questions forming in her mind.

"I can only say that I've had experiences with different worlds before. My magic helps make travel between them possible."

"And you think this place- America- is in trouble?" Gray questioned. He wasn't buying any of this. _Different worlds? That is just crazy._

"I am sure of it. Recently, I've felt traces of magic coming from America."

"And that's a bad thing?" Natsu asked, scratching his head.

"Yes. It is very bad. You see, America is a world without magic."

"What?!" Natsu, Gray and Erza shouted out all at once.

"What does that even mean?" Gray said.

"It means that America's inhabitants have found ways to live their lives without using magic. It is a technologically advanced world, although it is not without conflict."

"But how do they fight without magic?" Natsu asked, still looking confused.

"Really, flame brain? We find out another world exists and that is your first question?"

"Like I said." Mystogan cut in before a fight could erupt between the boys. "Technology there is beyond your belief. They find ways. However, the only reason I am telling you this is because the balance of their world has been upset. Magic has not existed there for centuries perhaps even longer. It simply doesn't belong there. Its discovery could potentially cause extreme destruction and chaos. Furthermore, if someone from America was able to manipulate magic, then that individual could quite literally take over the world if the magic is strong enough. All of this is speculation but there are risks we cannot afford to take. The people of America aside, if this other world was to be destroyed then ours could be affected as well. We must stop the root of the problem before it has an opportunity to grow."

"So you want us to go to America and investigate the source of magic you sensed?" Erza said, nodding her head.

"Yes, and destroy it if you can. If not then bringing it back to our world is an acceptable option as well."

"But why can't you do this, Mystogan?" Erza asked looking thoughtful. "Why ask us for help?"

"I would do this on my own if I could, but that is not an option. I have equally important responsibilities here that I must attend to."

"What?!" Natsu protested. "You're going to drop us off in a different magicless world because you have better things to do?"

"In its most crude explanation, yes. However, I hope you trust me enough to know that what I must take care of is of equal if not greater importance."

A small cloud of silence fell over the guild hall. All throughout Mystogan's talking Makarov had not spoken, remaining still as stone with his head bowed as he sat on the bar. Erza looked at him while Gray continued to stare down the masked wizard.

As always Natsu was the one to break the tense silence. He smashed his fist into an open palm and smiled fiercely, a toothy grin that seemed to engulf his entire face.

"That's good enough for me. Besides, this job sounds like fun."

"I don't know about this…" Gray said, shaking his head at Natsu's enthusiasm.

"Why? You scared?"

"Would you quit saying that? Sorry if I like to think over something before I charge in full force, unlike you." Gray argued back. Natsu scoffed at his words and crossed his arms.

"Well I'm going to help Mystogan out whether you guys come with me or not. He's a member of Fairy Tail so that means he's family. I trust him for sure." Natsu said. While Gray stared back at him Erza and Makarov couldn't help but smile at Natsu's spirit. Although he didn't show it and kept his dark green eyes as blank as ever, Mystogan was surprised but nevertheless grateful for the pink haired boy's words about him. He wasn't aware that his guild mates saw him in that light.

"Natsu's right." Erza said nodding her head, still with a smile on her face. "I'd like to help Mystogan as well. If that's alright with you, master."

"As much as I hate to see my children stray too far away from their home, I approve of this mission. If Mystogan's senses are correct, then I have no choice but to comply. There are no three wizards I think are more suited to the task." Makarov said, speaking for the first time in a while. His voice held a commanding yet warm rasp as he turned his head to the dark haired boy. "That is, if you would like to help as well, Gray."

"Fine. I'm in." He said. No way was he going to let Natsu and Erza get all the fun. Who knows, maybe this new world will be pretty cool.

"I cannot thank each of you enough." The cloaked wizard said.

"Wait! I get to go too right?" Happy's small squeaky voice chirped up. The wizards had forgotten about the little blue cat. Well, forgotten by all except one.

"Of course you are, little buddy!" Natsu said, patting his friend on the back. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Then it's settled." Makarov said. "Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlett, Gray Fullbuster, and Happy. I order you to go to America and deal with any traces of magic you might find there. Work hard and return home safely."

XXX

"Wait so this thing is an Anima?" Natsu asked as he stared up at the sky. It looked as though the sky was twisting and spiraling, appearing almost like a whirlpool made out of thick heavy air. The clouds in the vortex were dark and ominous, all rotating around some sort of epicenter that held a great deal of magical power.

Mystogan had led the four Fairy Tail wizards out into a wide field a few miles away from Magnolia. He said that he was taking them to an Anima, a portal between worlds that he could send them through with his magic.

"Yes."

"And it's going to take us to America?" The pink haired mage added skeptically.

"With the assistance of my magic, yes." Mystogan replied. He held out one of his staffs and raised it towards the sky. Layers of intricate magic circles varying in color sprouted from the top of the staff and expanded up towards the Anima in the sky. The vortex began to spiral faster and faster. The concentration of magical energy grew.

"Natsu, I'm scared." Happy whimpered, cowering closer to his partner.

"It's going to be okay." Natsu didn't blame him for being frightened. The sky now looked like some portal to hell and the air grew cold, picking up its velocity into freezing gusts of wind that were enough to topple over a small tree. The wizards held their ground and Natsu held Happy in his firm grasp.

"And how are we going to get back once we've completed our mission?" Erza asked as her long red hair was tossed wildly like a whip in the wind.

"I will reopen the Anima from Earthland when your mission is complete. However, when I do that all of you must be directly beneath the adjacent Anima in America at the exact time I preform my spell."

"But how will we know when? We'll be in different worlds, it's not like we can communicate." Gray said, scowling against the wind.

"I will reopen it exactly one year from now." Mystogan said, still focused on his spell. With his free hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device about two inches in diameter. It looked like a clock, except there was only one long hand. "When the hand makes one full rotation, your year will be up and I will reopen the Anima to bring you back."

"A year?!" Natsu said, outraged. "Don't you think that's a bit of an overkill? Will this mission really take us a whole year?"

"I do not know." Mystogan replied. He tossed the clock to Erza, who quickly pocketed it. "It all depends on how quickly you are able to find the source of magic I sensed. You may find it quickly or you may find yourselves pressed for time. I would have liked to give you more time, but this Anima will only last for a year."

"So that means we only have one shot at this." Erza said.

"Exactly. If you were to fail to find it in your one year, the Anima we are using now will close and will be unable to reopen. I could try to find another that leads to America, but that is not certain. By the time I find another way to get back to America it might be too late."

"We understand." Erza said with a nod. "A year is more than enough time. You can count on us."

"Thank you." Mystogan said. "Alright the Anima is ready, prepare yourself to be transported. Remember, your objective is to find the source of magic and destroy it. Regardless of whether you succeed or not, return back to the exact location where you arrive in one year. If not, you will be stuck in America forever. I wish you luck."

Natsu, Erza, Gray and Happy braced themselves to be whisked away. They shut their eyes and tensed up their bodies. Suddenly, they were sucked upwards, as if they were specks of dirt rising up the vortex of a tornado. The air around them grew very cold, so cold that it burned their skin. Their bodies rocketed across dimensions, waves of time and space seemingly tearing them apart. The space around them grew rapider and fiercer until suddenly, everything stopped. The four wizards hung in a spaceless void, suspended in nothingness until gravity suddenly kicked in. They plummeted down until they hit a wall of solid ground.

Feeling a cool breeze on their faces and sensing grass beneath their backs, the wizards slowly cracked open their eyes.

They had arrived in America.


	2. Chapter 1: The New Kids

Chapter 1

The New Kids

Lucy Heartfilia wished she could just wear jeans as she tugged on her ugly plaid knee length skirt. With a long sleeve white blouse and navy tie her school uniform was complete. The only thing she hated more than having to attend a fancy private school was having to attend the most fancy and most pompous of them all, Martin High School for Exceptional Youth. The only redeemable quality about that prison was that this was her last year. Today marked the first day of her senior year and after that… well she was going to figure that part out eventually.

After she ran a brush through her silky blond hair she decided that her appearance was acceptable and that it was more important to eat breakfast than put on makeup. Slamming the door to her bedroom she ran down the main stairs to the first floor of her giant mansion like house. Well, it wasn't really hers it belonged to her adopted parents, Max and Gloria Freeman. Her father was the CEO of a large manufacturing company and her mother was a famous attorney for anyone who was wealthy enough to afford her. She was pretty lucky to get out of foster care by being adopted by two ridiculously rich people. Not only were they wealthy but they owned a secluded mansion on a small estate in the suburbs of New York. At first it was a shock to transition to her luxurious life, but that was ten years ago when she was only seven. She had grown to love Max and Gloria like real parents and got accustomed to the life they lived.

Arriving in the dining hall, she found that their personal chef, Carlos, had prepared for her a large breakfast with eggs, bacon, toast, and all of her favorites. She had planned to just grab a banana and a bagel to eat quickly, but there was no way she could ignore her lovely chef when he did something so nice for her.

"Oh my goodness, this looks wonderful!" Lucy said with a smile. "Thank you so much, Carlos!"

"Anything for you, miss." The short squat man dipped his head politely as he twirled his thick black mustache.

"Ah come on Carlos, you know I'd rather you call me Lucy."

"Of course, miss Lucy." Carlos said with another head dip as he disappeared into the kitchen.

 _Close enough_. Lucy shrugged and the dug into her delicious breakfast, savoring the perfect combination of fine cuisine and traditional breakfast. Carlos truly was a genius.

Checking the time on her iPhone, Lucy realized she was going to be late if she didn't get moving soon. She grabbed her backpack and headed out the tall oak doors.

"Miss Lucy, I've prepared a limo for you." Their butler Pierre called out to her before she could make it past the tall oak front doors. Whereas Carlos was chubby and vertically challenged, Pierre was wispy, tall and all business with his shiny bald head and black suit.

"It's okay. I was planning on walking anyway. It will only take me about twenty minutes." Lucy promised. Sure, half the kids in her private school showed up in limos, but Lucy always felt uncomfortable in them. She rather just walk like a normal person. After all, her school was so close to her house anyway. The longest part of her walk would probably just getting down the drive way.

"I insist." Pierre said. "I wouldn't want to have you tired and sweaty on the first day of your senior year."

"Okay." Lucy said defeated. It was so hard to say no when people were so nice to her. "Thank you, Pierre."

"Anything for you, miss Lucy."

The limo ride was fast. They spent more time waiting at the stop light than they did actually moving. The school was so close it made more sense to walk…

 _Oh well_ , Lucy thought as her limo pulled into the circle drive at the front of the building. Martin High School looked the same as ever. With its tall white walls, glossy lawns, and Gothic windows, it looked more like a palace than a school.

"Have a wonderful day, miss." Pierre said as he opened the door for her.

"Thanks, you too." Lucy replied sweetly as she grabbed her backpack and stepped out from the safety of the limo to face the day.

Pierre pulled away with the limo and Lucy was left alone. She took a deep breath and joined the masses of rich kids as they funneled in through the front doors.

All around her, girls squealed and hugged each other as they found their friends while all the guys tried to act cool with each other and did that handshake thing all boys seemed to know how to do instinctively. They all looked the same to Lucy. They all were born into rich families and were spoiled rotten. Of course, Lucy was spoiled as well but at least she knew how lucky she was. Everyone else here seemed to take it for granted. It was because of that Lucy didn't have many friends.

It wasn't as if anyone was mean to her. On the contrary most every student in the school knew her and would say hello with a nice smile or compliment her hair, but Lucy knew they only did that because of who her parents were. It was tough, not knowing if someone liked you for you or if it was just for your money. Over the years, Lucy had become very weary of that and had trouble letting people in. There probably were some genuine people in the school; she was just too scared to meet them.

And so, Lucy walked to her first class alone. She was one of the first people to arrive in US history and chose a seat off to the side of the room next to a large window. She waited quietly as everyone else filed into the small classroom. A few people said hi to her and then sat somewhere else. By the time the bell rang all the seats were full except for the one beside her.

The teacher, Mr. Arnold, stood up from his desk to address the class.

"Hello students. My name is Mr. Arnold and I will be teaching you US history. I have few rules in my class but know that I do not tolerate-"

At that moment the door to the class room swung open and a flustered looking boy tumbled in.

"Did I make it on time?!" He said loudly with wide eyes. He swung his head from side to side and saw that the entire class plus a very agitated teacher was staring at him. His face broke into a wide smile and he ruffled the hair behind his head. "Woops, guess I didn't. This place is massive. I don't know how you guys find your way around-"

He trailed off as he met the harsh gaze of Mr. Arnold.

"What is your name, young man?"

"Natsu Dragneel. I'm new here." The boy said.

Lucy resisted the urge to laugh. No wonder she didn't recognize him because if he was a returning student she surely would have noticed him before. His most defining feature was the mound of pink hair on his head. Yes, _pink_. He must have died it. There was no way that was his natural color. He had large dark eyes and while they were friendly, there was something deeper in them that Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on. He wore the standard Martin uniform for males, Khakis and a white dress shirt. But he wasn't wearing the navy tie that all students were required to wear. Instead, wrapped around his neck was a white scarf that had a design that looked almost scaly. Overall, while this Natsu guy was weird, Lucy didn't fail to notice that he was attractive. Very attractive. She didn't know if it was the pink bangs that fell over his eyes, that toothy grin or even if it was the confident way he held himself, but the blonde girl couldn't help staring at him as he talked with the teacher.

"Evidently." Mr. Arnold said, looking at the boy's abnormal hair and scarf. "As I was saying before you made your entrance, I do not tolerate tardiness in my class."

"Are we sure I'm late? Do you have a clock anywhere, I-"

"The tardy bell has already rung." The teacher cut him off impatiently.

"Oh, so that's what that annoying ringing is." Natsu said almost to himself.

"Where are you from, young man?" The teacher asked. The pink haired boy hesitated for a moment and then replied brightly.

"Califarnia." He said, seeming almost proud. The class chuckled slightly but Mr. Arnold only scowled.

"You mean, California?" He corrected.

"Oh yeah that's it!"

"Well, Mr. Dragneel, I don't know how things are done in California but here at Martin there are a strict set of rules that must be followed." He said. Natsu opened his mouth to reply, but the teacher continued to speak. "For example, we take dress code very seriously. We do not permit unnaturally colored hair and do not allow scarfs."

"My hair isn't unnaturally colored!" Natsu protested, looking genuinely offended. "And I don't go anywhere without my scarf."

 _Wow, he is either really brave or really stupid to talk to Mr. Arnold like that_. Lucy thought as she and the rest of the class watched.

"Take the scarf off." Mr. Arnold said through gritted teeth. He was not about to have his authority questioned on the very first day.

"No." Natsu replied evenly, staring at the man. He wasn't scared of this old geezer one bit. But as he saw the anger on the man's face grow, he remembered something he was told about this place. It wasn't like back home. Reluctantly, he went against every fiber in his body and backed down, "I mean, I rather not sir because I have a scar on my neck and it's really embarrassing. I was told I would be able to cover it."

"Very well." The teacher said but the boy wasn't off the hook yet. "However, for your disrespect I am giving you a detention. Report to my room after school ends today."

"What you can do that?" Natsu mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Yes sir!" Natsu covered it up by flashing a smile.

"Take your seat." Mr. Arnold said and the pink haired boy obeyed.

Eyeing the only seat unfilled in the class he began to walk to the desk beside Lucy. Like the rest of the students, the blonde girl was still watching the strange new kid.

Suddenly, Natsu halted in his tracks. He turned his head and looked directly at Lucy. For a moment, their gazes were locked and neither could look away. The girl felt a warm blush creep up on her cheeks as the boy looked at her in wonder.

The very next second, Natsu looked away and sat down at the desk. The teacher began talking again and the class reluctantly shifted their gaze back to him. Lucy forced herself to look at the front of the class room instead of the now occupied desk beside her. Had she imagined the whole thing? Did he really look at her like that? Lucy agreed that it was all just her wild imagination getting the best of her and that she made up the whole thing in her head.

"Are all the teachers here that mean?" A whisper came out from beside her. Without thinking, she turned her head to see that Natsu was looking at her again. He'd asked her a question.

"Not all of them." She whispered back quickly, worried that Mr. Arnold would catch her talking. "Some are really nice."

"Good to hear. I'm Natsu by the way." He said with his signature smile.

"I know."

 _I know? Did I really just say 'I know'? God, I must sound like such a creep-_

"I mean I don't know you I just heard you talking to the teacher and-"

"Miss Heartfilia. Do you have something you wish to share with the class?" Mr. Arnold said, pausing his lecture to glare at the girl he caught rambling.

"No, I-"

"Sorry mister." Natsu broke in raising his hand. "That was me. Sometimes I talk to myself on accident."

The pink haired boy flashed the teacher a cheeky eyes closed grin. It's probably the one he uses to get out of trouble. But it didn't work this time.

"Perhaps we can fix that habit in detention tomorrow." Mr. Arnold said sternly.

"But I thought my detention was today?"

"And you just earned yourself another."

"Awe man!" Natsu pouted and laid his head down on his desk.

"Sit up!"

"Yes, sir!"

 _Wow, he took the blame for me._ Lucy thought in awe. He probably didn't think anything of it, but to Lucy that meant a great deal. It wasn't just because she was worried about her perfect record being tarnished, but rather that someone who probably didn't know her or her parents did something nice for her. And somehow, this act of kindness meant so much more.

Lucy didn't talk to him again for the duration of the period, but she was going to thank him after class. After all, it was rough for new kids at Martin.

 _For his sake, I hope his parents are rich. Otherwise he will see just how horrible the people here are._

When the bell rang, everyone got up to leave. Lucy slung on her backpack and walked beside Natsu towards the door.

"Thanks for saving me there." She said, making sure Mr. Arnold was well out of the earshot.

"Oh, it's no problem! But I can't believe that jerk gave me two detentions." He mumbled crossing his arms.

"Still, I want to know how I can make it up to you." Lucy said looking into Natsu's eyes. They were strange, just like the rest of him. They were black, but somehow it was a color deeper than that and it wasn't a cold black either. No, they reminded her of coals fresh with the warmth of a fire.

"How about you help me find my next class?" Natsu asked holding up a sheet of paper.

"Well, first of all you're holding your schedule upside down." Lucy giggled.

"Oh, now that makes so much more sense!"

"You're in luck." Lucy said taking a peek at his order of classes. "Your next one is pretty close. Just keep walking straight down this hall then take a right and it should be the first door on your left!"

"Got it!" He said triumphantly. Lucy expected for him to start walking away but he hung around for a moment. "Do we have any more classes together?"

Somehow, that simple question brought yet another blush to her cheeks. She better cut it out soon or this guy was going to think that she was permanently a tomato.

"Um let me check." Lucy couldn't hide the sense of joy she felt that they had two more classes together. "Looks like we have Biology together fifth period and English seventh."

"Awesome! See you then!" Natsu cheered and then began to run away. Literally running. He made it about halfway down the hall before he turned around and ran back to her. "Wait I never got your name."

"Lucy Heartfilia." She laughed. "It's nice to meet you Natsu."

Lucy was relieved to see a familiar face in her next class, Calculus. As she walked into the mathematics room, she sat next to a girl her age with long wavy chocolate hair and green eyes. The girl smiled and waved at her brightly.

"Hey Lucy! Long time no see."

"Abby! I've missed you over the summer."

Abby was one of Lucy's better friends. They ate lunch together last year and even hung out a few times outside of school, an exciting prospect for the blonde girl. They had said they would hang out over the summer, but it never happened. After all, Abby was best friends with another girl named Sarah and Lucy was always the awkward third wheel when she was around them. Plus, all they ever seemed to talk about was boys or drama around the school and Lucy got sick of that stuff real fast, but they were nice girls and did their best to include her.

"Have you heard about the new kids yet?" Abby said excitedly.

"New kids?" Lucy asked in confusion. Was there someone else besides Natsu that was new here? "I thought there was only one."

"No there are three of them! I saw them walking up to the school together like they already know each other or something."

"Are they related?"

"That's the thing, they aren't family but they all moved here together from the same place. I heard that they all ganged up and ran away from home. Apparently, they are living in an apartment together!"

"Really?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Was that even legal? It probably was if one of them was eighteen, but still that seemed really weird. She decided not to think much of the rumors because they were just that, rumors. Abby was always in the loop but sometimes her information was way off base.

"Yes and they are all super attractive too! All the guys are talking about how beautiful the girl is and let me just tell you, the two new boys are hot! One of them was in my first period and he is so dreamy with his dark hair and eyes… and the other one has pink hair but he freaking pulls it off! I have to start talking to at least one of them."

Lucy listened to her friend gush with a faint smile on her face. It seems like Natsu and his friends were already taking the school by storm.

"There's only one problem though." Abby said lowering her voice and suddenly getting very serious.

"What's that?"

"I heard that they're poor and only got into Martin on scholarship." She spoke in a hushed whisper as if she were telling some dirty secret. Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

 _No matter how nice or awesome a person is, if they aren't rich this school wants nothing to do with them._

"It's just a rumor, though." Abby continued, raising her voice to its normal volume again. "And I hope it's not true. That would ruin everything."

The rest of Lucy's morning classes flew by quickly. The entire school was buzzing about the three new kids. She must have heard a million theories by now about who they were and what background they had. She stopped listening to the rumors after she heard from someone that they are highly trained undercover criminals running from the law. The new girl Abby had told her about was in her third period class, but Lucy didn't talk to her. The red head, just as beautiful as the rumors made her out to be, simply sat quietly in the back of the room while the class whispered about her.

The time had come for lunch and Lucy was faced with a dilemma. Where was she going to sit? Last year she ate with Abby and Sarah, but they always sat with a crowd of popular kids and she always felt out of place there. Across the cafeteria, Lucy spied their table. It was jammed pack with all the richest and most well-known kids in school. She knew that Abby would let her sit with them if she asked, but the blonde girl didn't want to mess around with that crowd this year.

In the end, she found an empty table and decided to eat alone. Who cares if someone saw her by herself? Pulling out the sandwich Carlos had made her and a novel she was reading, Lucy settled down to enjoy her half hour lunch break.

Little did she know that she was under the careful observation of three mysterious teens sitting together at a table not too far away.


	3. Chapter 2: Lucy Heartfilia

Chapter 2

Lucy Heartfilia

"So that's her, huh." Gray said as he looked at the blonde girl eating lunch by herself.

"Yup." Natsu replied taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. "Her name is Lucy."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Gray interjected.

"And you said she seems to be like everyone else in this world?" Erza asked with crossed arms, ignoring her dark haired teammate, leaving her lunch discarded on the table in front of her.

"Well, she's a lot nicer but other than that but yeah it doesn't seem like she knows about the magic inside of her." Natsu mumbled through his mouthful of food, more interested in his lunch than Gray or the weird girl he met this morning.

"That's what I concluded after observing her during the class we had together." Erza said, more to herself than her two friends.

The red head was stumped. After two full months of unsuccessful searching for the source of magic power Mystogan told them about, they finally discovered a lead. It came in the form of a seventeen year old girl. Just before the school year started, Erza walked past her along a crowded New York street out of sheer coincidence. Having sharply tuned skills, the wizard immediately sensed a tinge of magic power inside her. It was so faint that Erza almost missed it herself and it was that quality that made her doubt this was the source of magic that their mysterious guild mate warned them about. Even he couldn't have sensed it that far away. However, after weeks of being in a strange new world completely bare of magic, the three Fairy Tail wizards jumped at the opportunity to investigate. And so, they found out which school the girl went to and enlisted in the same one. Erza wasn't about to admit to anyone how exactly she got herself and her teammates into a prestigious and expensive private school, but the point was that she succeeded.

Even though they had made a step in the right direction, the red head only felt more confused than ever. Who was this girl and why does she have magic power? That was the only question running through her mind as she studied the blonde in the class that they shared. She knew that powerful wizards could cover and mask their magic power in order to not be detected, but what she sensed in the girl was completely different. The magic wasn't being hidden or suppressed. The faint register of magic was just its natural state. The girl wasn't doing anything to hide it; in fact, Erza was sure she doesn't even know that it's there. Of course, knowing all that only brought up the next obvious question. Why is this girl the only one with magic power in this world?

Erza shook her head. She couldn't be completely sure about that statement for she had not seen every person in this world, but she had to rely on the information Mystogan gave her. According to him, this world has had zero magic since forever. If several people were running around with magic inside of them surely they would have discovered it by now. No, Lucy must be the only one. And that means she has to have some connection with the larger magic power Mystogan was primarily concerned with. That was the only logical explanation and if she was wrong… then this mission is as good as over.

"Well, I guess it's obvious what we have to do now." Natsu said leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He had finished his entire lunch while Erza was thinking.

 _Does he actually have a plan?_ Erza thought, slightly impressed.

"We just got to capture her, tie her up and wait until our year is over. We bring her back to Earthland and mission complete!"

Erza rolled her eyes. _I should have known._

"That is the stupidest idea I have heard in a long time, Natsu." Gray deadpanned. His bored expression got Natsu to stand up and slam his hands on the lunch table.

"You got any better ides, snow princess?"

"Nothing could be dumber than your brain, hot head."

"Would you two calm down?!" Erza roared. Natsu silenced himself immediately and sat back down looking guilty. "Yes, Natsu's idea is idiotic, but Gray, we don't need him angry or he'll blow up the entire school. And Natsu, control yourself. We aren't in Earthland anymore!"

"Yes, Erza." They both replied in unison. The red head let out a sigh.

"I think what Gray was trying to say is that there are many reasons your idea would not work, Natsu. First of all, Lucy has done nothing to deserve being captured and taken away from her family. And secondly, taking her back would not solve anything. Lucy isn't the source of magic that Mystogan warned us about."

"Wait." Gray said, now looking just as confused as Natsu. "She isn't?"

"That is one of the few things I am sure of. No way could Mystogan have sensed that tiny amount of magic from our world. And besides, her power is clearly dormant. It's not something any would really need to worry about. Our actual objective has to be something much larger and much more dangerous."

"So we've basically wasted our time by coming to this place?" Gray questioned.

"No. I believe that Lucy is in some way connected to the larger source of power. If we find out what that connection is, we will be one step closer to completing our mission."

"Okay I'm not understanding most of this, but if there was some massive magical power like you say, how come we can sense the tiny magic inside Lucy but not the big source?" Natsu asked.

"For once, Flame brain has a pretty good point."

"I don't know." Erza said with a sigh. "But if I had to guess it's either because the source is only releasing magic sporadically or that something is hiding it."

"So what's our next step? Do I finally get to fight something?" Natsu said pounding a fist into his other palm. It's been too long since he's gotten into a real fight and the pink haired boy was itching for some action.

"I think the first step needs to be to find out as much information about Lucy as possible. If we can understand her past then maybe we can understand why she has this power within her. After school today we will follow her home and begin to collect intelligence on her. For the time being, we should try to stay as far away from her as possible. We don't want to alarm her of our investigation nor do we want to raise any suspicions about ourselves. We have to blend in here as well as we can and complete our mission discretely."

"I agree." Gray voiced, nodding his head. Erza was always so good at forming tactics and logical thinking. "The people around here would freak if they knew who we really are."

"Yeah I get it, but there is one problem with your plan, Erza." Natsu said looking sheepish all of a sudden.

"And what's that?" Erza looked at Natsu, who began to smile and ruffle his rosy hair.

"I'm busy after school today so I can't track Lucy with you guys."

"Busy doing what?" Erza demanded before Gray could smack Natsu on the head.

"I got detention."

In a short pause, a silence fell over the three wizards.

And then Erza and Gray burst into laughter.

"You got detention?!" Gray roared, his voice hoarse in thick waves of laughter that rocked his chest. He pounded the table with his fist, trying to contain his laughs. Erza was a bit more discrete but still a smile crept up on her face as she tried to hold back the giggles.

"What?" Natsu demanded. "What's so funny about that?"

"I should have known you'd get in trouble on your first day, but still it's hilarious! What'd you do? Blow up a desk? Set the teacher on fire?'

"Maybe he challenged another student to a fight!" Erza chimed in.

"Or punched a hole through his homework cause he didn't know how to do it."

"No!" Natsu interrupted them in a huff. "I didn't even do anything wrong. One second I was just having a conversation with the teacher and the next second he gave me a detention."

"And what did your conversation entail, exactly." Erza asked, honestly intrigued by what Natsu had done to land himself in detention.

"Well first of all he though my hair was died or something and then he wanted me to take off my scarf. When I told him no he got really angry and-"

"Natsu! Remember what we learned about this place! You can't just say no to a teacher. Their word is law."

"But I couldn't just let him take my scarf! It's bad enough being in this freak show of a school and dressing up in this weird outfit, but I'm not letting them take my scarf too!"

"You need to get your priorities straight." Gray sighed.

"There ain't nothing wrong with my priorities, frosty." Natsu growled.

"Gray, your shirt!" Erza suddenly shouted, alarmed. The dark haired boy looked down to see his bare chest. His eyes widened in shock as he fumbled to grab his discarded shirt on the ground.

"When did that happen?!"

"What do you think you are doing?" A new older and much harsher voice called out. Gray looked up to see an elderly woman standing over him with her skinny frail arms crossed. Het wrinkly skin was stretched thin over prominent cheekbones and her pursed lips were twisted into a dissatisfied scowl. Gray looked from his naked chest and back to her. _Oh crap._

"I'm sorry." He stammered. "I didn't mean to-"

"Put your clothes back on!" She demanded, scowling at him through her large and round glasses.

"Yes, ma'am." He said and quickly pulled his shirt back on over his head. Curse his stupid stripping habit.

"I understand that you are one of our new students here. Mr. Fullbuster, is it?" The woman said now that Gray was fully clothed. "However, that is no excuse for your blatant breach of one of our most basic school policies."

"I'm sorry." Gray mumbled. _How the hell does she already know my name?_

"My name is Mrs. Brickman and I am the principle here at Martin. I wish we could introduce ourselves under better terms, but unfortunately on our first meeting I have no choice but to give you a detention. Report to Mr. Arnold's room immediately after school. I trust that from this point forward you will abide by our rules and that our future together will be much more pleasant. Good day."

With that the small elderly woman walked away, her short obviously permed gray hair bouncing behind her. The second she was gone it was Natsu's turn to laugh.

"Payback is sweet."

"Shut up." Gray said with a groan as he leaned back in his chair.

 _Great. Now not only do I have detention, but I have detention with Natsu. This world sucks._

"Well I guess that means I will be tailing Lucy by myself." Erza sighed, palming her forehead. She knew that her two companions weren't going to excel in school but this was ridiculous.

"Lucy said there are nice people here too, but everyone else I've met here is a jerk who needs some sense knocked into them." Natsu said, his body temperature rising.

"You know I was joking about setting the teachers on fire, right?" Gray said raising an eyebrow.

"Talk about a 'blatant breach' of school policy." Erza laughed, smiling fondly at her pink haired companion. They may get into trouble and be a bit more than a handful, but at the end of the day there was no one she trusted more than Natsu and Gray.

"I don't even know what that means." Natsu said. That lady used way too many big words for his taste.

"You're an idiot." The black haired boy said.

"You both are." Erza retorted albeit very fondly. "Hope you two have fun in detention."

Leaning close towards Gray's ear, Natsu lowered his voice and whispered.

"Hey Gray. Do you have any idea what detention is?" At Natsu's words, Gray paused for a moment to think. He ended up heaving out a big sigh.

"I have no idea."

XXX

Erza shifted around awkwardly as she tried to find a more comfortable position on the tree branch she was perched on. She was hidden from the outside by a thick cover of bright green summer leaves, but by peeking through a small crack in the blanket of green she could see everything below her. Less than ten yards away stood the most magnificent house she had seen in her life. Americans really did have a lust for luxury. It was a tall tan colored mansion that stood tall and wide in the middle of an almost unnaturally green manicured lawn. A rustic red paneled roof matched the long brick drive way that led up to the spectacular oak front doors that stood far taller than any human would need to enter it. Judging from the size of the house- if you could even call it a house- it was clear that it held countless bedrooms and every other amenity you could think of.

However, at the moment, Erza was focused on only one window and what was just beyond it. Her spot in the tall tree gave her a clear shot into Lucy's bedroom. At this point, the redhead felt very much like a stalker and she was glad that Natsu and Gray weren't able to be there with her or the creepiness would only be amplified. She told herself that this spying was essential for her mission and that it had to be done.

Still, that logic wasn't helped by the fact that she was learning nothing important. She followed Lucy home as she got a ride from her butler in a fancy black limo. The teenage girl ate a quick snack after she got home and went directly to her bed room. Ever since then she had been simply reading a book on her large comfy looking bed, making the female wizard very jealous.

Erza let out a deep sigh. This mission was not at all like she thought it would be. When they first arrived in America, they experienced such a culture shock, the mission was put out of their minds entirely. The two months that they had been here were used almost exclusively to adapt to their new environment. Nothing Mystogan could have told them would have prepared them for this strange new land. From the cars, the televisions, the cell phones to just the sheer difference in their societies, the three Fairy Tail wizards struggled to survive in the world. It was only just recently that they grew able to function here to the extent that they could actually attend a school without standing out too much. Nevertheless, every new day they found new things that surprised them and Erza was sure that would never change.

She already missed her home and everyone in their guild. She didn't know how she was going to cope with the homesickness for another ten months. At least she had Natsu, Gray, and Happy here with her.

 _Speaking of our little blue friend, I probably should have let him know that we would be late coming home._

Happy was back at the apartment they had rented, seeing how animals were not allowed at Martin. The cat was disappointed by that, but Natsu was the one who threw the real fit. Eventually, he calmed down, but still… it was cute how much he cared for his fuzzy little partner. Inwardly, Erza chuckled. It was a miracle that they have managed to stay undercover this long. With Natsu's short temper and reckless attitude along with Gray's weird quirks, Erza had no idea how America was oblivious to the four wizards that joined their ranks.

 _Well, we do have quite the cover story._ To everyone who asked, they said that they were orphans from the same foster home in California. Being the oldest, Erza would tell anyone who asked that once she turned eighteen, she took Natsu and Gray with her to start a new life in New York. She would always leave the details of how they made money and how they got into the fancy private school out of the discussion. It wasn't like she could reveal her more draconian methods.

As the hours ticked by, Erza became more and more convinced that Lucy truly believed that she was just a normal girl. She read her book and wrote in her journal, casually letting the time fly by before dinner and eventually her bed time.

Once night fell and Lucy was fast asleep, the red head decided to call it a day, very frustrated by the hours she had spent wasting time.

 _Obviously, we are going to have to go about this a different way._

 _XXX_

"Hey Erza! You're back!" Natsu said excitedly the moment Erza opened the door to their small two bedroom apartment. The red head smiled in response to the silly grin that was plastered on the bright face of the salmon haired boy.

"How'd the tailing go?" Gray asked casually from his spot on the couch.

"Natsu told me that you were stalking an innocent girl!" Happy said in his high pitched baby voice.

"It wasn't stalking-"

"Oh come one Erza," Natsu laughed as he sat on the floor with Happy in his lap. "We all know it was stalking."

Erza rolled her eyes but decided not to argue. Instead, she took her seat on the couch next to Gray. It was good to sit on something that wasn't made of tree bark.

The apartment really was tiny and cramped. The main room was barely big enough to fit a chocolate brown couch, a mismatched green plaid recliner and a coffee table. Closer to the front door, the space opened up into a kitchen that was so small it could barely be called a kitchen. Antique wall paper decorated with what looked like grape vines was peeling of the walls and the fridge was a dull white color with hints of rust coloring the edges. A small hallway off to the right side of the room had two doors that led to two separate bedrooms with a bathroom connecting them in the middle. Even though the apartment was small, it was still nice and cozy. Wooden floors created a sense of warmth beneath the wizard's feet and the living room walls were a vanilla cream color that helped make the room seem just a touch larger. On the back wall by the couch area was a rather larger window shaded by forest green curtains that led out to a nice view of a grassy park. All in all it was a nice place that the Fairy Tail wizards could return to.

"All tonight confirmed for me is that Lucy is just an ordinary girl with a hidden magic inside of her that she isn't aware of."

"So basically it was just a big waste of time?" Natsu said with a frown.

"Well I wasn't going to put it so bluntly, but yes, massive waste of time."

"So what are we going to do next?" Gray asked.

"Remember what I said about keeping our distance from Lucy?" Erza said and the boys nodded.

"Well I wasn't there, but I guess you guys don't care about that so…" Happy said with his paws crossed.

"Sorry, Happy, but the school doesn't allow cats." Gray shrugged as he fiddled with the remote control and tried to remember how to change the channel on the cheap boxy TV in the corner.

"I'm not just a cat! And I'm better behaved than Natsu!"

"Hey!"

"Anyway." Erza said, bringing the focus back. "Keeping our distance from Lucy isn't going to work."

"But I thought you said-"

"I was mistaken." Erza said. "Watching Lucy from far away isn't going to help us because on the surface she is ordinary. It's what's on the inside that is important to us."

"Where are you going with this, Erza?" Happy asked.

"Natsu." The red head said, turning to the fire wizard. "This is where you come in."

"Really? Do I get to fight something?"

"No. I need you to become friends with Lucy."

"Well okay, but what changed your mind?" Natsu asked.

"Like I just said, we need to learn more about her and we aren't going to get that from stalking- I mean watching her from a distance. I need you to get close to Lucy and learn about her past. Even if she looks ordinary, we know she isn't. There has to be something about her past that gives us some clues."

"But why are you asking Flame Brain to do it? This isn't really the type of thing that he's good at." Gray said.

"Yeah, Natsu has the delicacy of a rock." Happy chimed in.

"A rock? Really that's the best you can come up with? Why couldn't it be a volcano or a fire ball or a dragon or-"

"Natsu has the most classes with her and besides, they are already acquainted. Lucy has shown to be a reserved and quiet person yet she talked to him. I think he's perfect for the job."

"I guess I'll do it, but somehow this seems even creepier than the stalking thing." Natsu said unsure of the whole thing. Sure Lucy was weird, but she was also better than anyone else he's met in this world. He didn't want to lie to her or pretend to be friends; that just didn't seem right. Even his dense eyes could see that she was disappointed when he didn't sit next to her in the other two classes they had together earlier today. Since Erza told him to keep his distance he sat across the room from her and maybe he was imagining it but she looked sad. He had just met her but he never liked it when girls were sad.

"Don't think of it like that." Erza said. "Just let it all be natural."

"Okay…" Natsu trailed off thinking hard about everything. But then his head started to hurt so he just stopped.

 _I'll just sit next to her in class tomorrow._ He decided. Everything else could just come naturally.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
**

 **Hi again! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I know this chapter may have seemed a little slow or tedious, but I assure you that it is necessary for the larger plot. Just a little reminder, please review and tell me what you think. I would love any feedback or ideas for the story because nothing is set in stone at this point. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3: Trapped

Chapter 3

Trapped

For the first time since she could remember, Lucy was eager to go to school. It was a strange feeling, being able to spring out of her bed in the morning like it wasn't 7 AM. It was only the second week of school, but the blond girl was confident that this was going to be her best year yet. And the reason for this change? Lucy wasn't all that sure but she knew it had something to do with the color pink.

 _Natsu Dragneel_. She thought as she put extra time into fixing her hair that morning. He was as strange as they come, but the three class periods they had together were her favorite moments of the past week. Other than the first day, the pink haired boy had sat next to her in every class they shared of his own choice. He was always the one to start up conversations and he made her laugh constantly. Sitting next to a trouble maker made her risk being guilty by association, but honestly, she didn't even care.

Something about her conversations with Natsu seemed so much more genuine than the relationships she had with any other nonfamily member. Even though he clearly didn't know who her parents were, he treated her with kindness and respect. Lucy didn't feel special in the usual sort of way that constantly reminded her of who her parents were but rather he made her feel special in the way that helped her personality take the front seat. She was just an ordinary person to him and that notion filled her heart with happiness.

 _I hope we become good friends._

After a couple hours it was time for her first class of the day. When she walked through the doors of the History classroom, she was immediately greeted by a bright smile. Her heart picked up a couple beats when she realized that smile was only for her.

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu shouted from his desk across the half-filled classroom, raising his hand in greeting. She blushed as all the students attention shifted to her.

"Indoor voice, Mr. Dragneel." Mr. Arnold said from his desk, without even looking up to see who the loud holler belonged to.

Natsu just smirked and waited for the blonde girl to take her seat next to him.

"Hey Natsu." She said as she set down her things.

"How was your weekend? Do anything special?"

"Nope, not really. Just hung around my house with a good book." Lucy stammered out, wishing she had something more interesting to say. Amazingly, Natsu acted like she did. An even bigger smile broke out on his face and he leaned forward slightly.

"Is that the only thing you ever do? Seems boring to me."

"Maybe you should give it a try instead of… what _do_ you like to do in your free time?" Lucy asked curiously. Natsu opened his mouth as if he had an automatic answer but then bit his tongue and started mumbling instead.

"Oh you know, this and that… I like a lot of stuff…"

"Very descriptive." Lucy said a bit disappointed. Her pink haired acquaintance was still very mysterious to her. The only things she really knew about him was that he moved here from California and lived with Erza and Gray. Thinking back on the week they had known each other, Lucy found that most of their conversations centered around her.

"Yeah well, I'm not very good with words." Natsu said honestly. Lucy smiled.

"Sometimes I feel the same way. I love to write but sometimes the words never really come out how I want them to."

"What do you like to write?" Natsu asked looking right at her. Lucy blushed. The fierce gaze of the teenage boy sometimes made her uncomfortable, but not in the way that made her want to turn away. Instead, there was something about his wild dark eyes that made her want to look into them forever until she could finally decipher their secrets, but it never seemed like she could. On the contrary they made her give out a secret of her own, something she rarely ever told anyone.

"I'm writing a novel." She admitted, waiting for the inevitable roar of laughter. But strangely, it never came.

"No way that's pretty awesome! So are you going to be a super famous writer in the future?"

"No!" Lucy said, shocked at just the idea of it. She let out a small sigh. "That's just not in the plan."

"What plan?" Natsu raised an eyebrow and Lucy immediately wished she hadn't mentioned her novel at all. The truth was _she_ didn't have a plan, but her father sure did have one for her. She easily could have gone into a long pitiful speech about how she was never going to realize her hidden dream of being a writer since her dad had his own ideas of what his only daughter should do with her life, but she definitely did not want to get into that whole subject right now. It always made her far too emotional for what was acceptable on a Monday morning.

"Oh nothing." She said instead, shrugging her shoulders with what she hoped was a casual nonchalance. "It's not a big deal."

"Well that settles it." Natsu said. "Your novel's gunna be the first book I read."

"Really?" Lucy said with a dreamy smile. Does he really want to- "Wait did you just say the _first_ book you read? Don't tell me you've never-"

Lucy was cut off by the annoying tone of the tardy bell, and so Mr. Arnold's lecture about the Boston Tea Party began. The blonde girl was still staring in disbelief at the boy, but he only flashed her a sheepish smile while gesturing to her with a finger over his mouth, uncharacteristically reminding her to be quiet during the lecture.

Eventually, the blonde shook off her shock, deciding that he was just joking. She tried her best to listen to the droning teacher but it was just so hard to pay attention to him when…

 _Natsu Dragneel_. The only thing she wanted to learn about was him. Yes she wanted to know about his family, his hobbies and all of that stuff, but the question burning on her mind at the moment was that brilliant white scarf he wore every day. On the first day of school he said that it was to hide a scar on his neck, but she knew that was probably a lie so that he could keep it on. After all, the way he would absentmindedly touch it and stroke his fingers along its peculiar design, there had to be something special about it.

"Sorry, can you repeat the question?" Natsu said from beside her. For a moment Lucy thought he was talking to her, but then she realized that while she was day dreaming Mr. Arnold had asked Natsu a question.

"I asked you for the main purpose the American colonists had for conducting the Boston Tea Party. Even without the half hour we have already used to discuss it, you should be able to tell me at least that much."

Natsu looked at him quietly with a slight frown.

 _Oh come on, Natsu. I haven't been paying attention either but everyone knows about the Boston Tea Party._

"Shouldn't you know that?" Natsu ended up saying. "I mean you are the teacher."

The class let out a snort of laughter and Mr. Arnold pursed his lips.

"And it is my job to make thickheaded teenagers like you understand. Now answer the question before you earn yourself another detention."

"Well that's easy." Natsu said triumphantly, leaning back in his chair. "The American colonists conducted the Boston Tea Party because they were thirsty."

The class erupted into laughter in spite of themselves and Lucy couldn't help but giggle along with them.

 _The things that come out of that boy's mouth…_ Maybe the best part of the whole thing was the look on Natsu's face. He was completely relaxed with an innocent oblivious stare. Lucy could have sworn that she saw the corner of his mouth twist up in a crooked smile but other than that, he didn't relent to the laughter around him.

"If you aren't going to take my class seriously, then you might as well get out. Go wait in the hallway." Mr. Arnold said, being the only person in the room who was not amused.

"Fine by me." Natsu shrugged. He got up and left the classroom, but not without winking at Lucy before he went.

The rest of the class passed without much event other than Mr. Arnold being in an even worse mood than before. With Natsu out of the room, Lucy could actually concentrate on the lesson. After all, she didn't want to be subject to one of his random questions.

Lucy felt a sense of relief as the bell rang. She hurried out of the room to greet Natsu in the hallway, but he was already gone.

 _I guess it's not in him to wait patiently outside_. Lucy thought, stifling her disappointment.

In her next class, she took her usual seat next to Abby. The popular girl looked as pretty as ever despite having to wear the ugly school uniform like the rest of them. Lucy never did think it was fair how her blouse seemed to fit her perfectly and accentuate all the right things. The blonde girl always felt like she was a frumpy pile of polyester in hers.

"Hey Lucy. You got a second to talk?" Abby said, looking more serious than usual. Lucy felt the curious looks of a couple other pretty girls on them as Lucy settled down into the open desk next to the brunette.

"Um, yeah sure. What's up?"

"Well it's just about that new kid you've been hanging out with." She said uncomfortably. Lucy raised an eyebrow, although she was pretty sure where her brunette friend was going with this. The thought made her muscles tense.

"What do you mean?" Lucy said finally, waiting for Abby to better explain herself. She dropped her voice to that scandalous whisper she always used when talking about gossip.

"People have been telling me that you've been getting awfully friendly with that pink haired kid."

"What's your point?" Lucy replied shortly, trying not to let her frustration creep onto her face. Just a week ago, Abby was all about trying to date him the moment she saw the hot new guy. Now she was talking about him as if he were the plague.

"You can't talk to someone like that, Lucy."

"Why not?" She replied through gritted teeth.

"All three of them. They're dirt poor. They probably can barely afford the clothes on their back let alone afford to go here. They are just trying to fit in somewhere they clearly don't belong. I care about you too much to be associated with someone like that." Abby said with a look of concern on her face.

Lucy paused for a moment allowing her words to sink in. She was angry, but also kind of sad. She felt sorry for her pampered rich friend. Abby wasn't being callous or arrogant. She honestly believed that the rich and poor couldn't mix. When you grow up hearing one thing constantly in your ear, it ends up sticking. Looking into her pretty green eyes, Lucy could tell that her worry was genuine.

But still, that didn't mean that Lucy was just going to back down. If Abby was going to survive in the real world one day, this was something she needed to hear.

"I don't care that he's poor. When you are friends with someone that sort of thing doesn't matter."

"Maybe not to normal people, but we are different, Lucy." Abby said in a pleading voice. Her words hit a nerve Lucy didn't know she had. Her heart rate started to pick up and she began to feel hot. Did Abby seriously think that they were so different from everyone else? Half of her life Lucy had spent trying to convince herself of the opposite. She hated being treated differently. She hated being placed on some societal pedestal. She hated never being able to make her own decisions because people were always telling her what to do and how she was supposed to act. And hearing someone close to her confirm all of her fears felt like a knife to the heart.

"Are we?" Lucy asked sharply, not expecting an answer. "Because I believe that everyone deserves to have friends and be happy no matter what kind of background they have." The blonde girl spoke from her heart with a controlled desperation but her words were only met by a shake of the head.

"You don't understand." Abby's voice was filled with pity. She was looking at Lucy like she was a naïve child.

"Maybe I don't!" Lucy said suddenly, not able to control the rising pitch of her voice. Before she knew it words were pouring out, words and fears that she had kept in for so long. "Maybe I don't understand what it's like to be able to make choices for myself or what it's like to have people judge me for who I am as a person and not my parent's bank account! I don't remember what it's like to live outside our fake luxurious world, but I want to! I want to understand so badly but I'm trapped in this place and I don't know how to get out. At least when I talk to Natsu I forget where I am for a moment!"

By then the entire class were silent in their seats, listening to Lucy's outburst. Once she finished her rant, she realized want she had done and blushed a deep red. A thick quiet hung over the entire class and nothing was worse than the devastated look on Abby's face. Tears were sprinkling the corners of her eyes and Lucy felt her own going the same way.

 _She didn't deserve to be yelled at like that… what is wrong with me?_

Lucy began to panic, her heart racing beneath the harsh stares of her classmates. She had to get out of there. The stuffy room was suffocating her and she just needed to get out if only it was for a few moments. She had to sort out her head and she couldn't do it while she was being watched so closely. She raised her hand into the air, trying to hold back her tears until she was out of sight.

"May I go to the bathroom?" She stammered at the teacher. Not waiting for a response, she grabbed her things and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

The teary eyed girl made a beeline for the bathroom. It was the only place she could think of to go. It was horribly cliché, crying in the bathroom, but she had no other choice. Thankfully, the restroom was empty as Lucy sat down in the corner and hugged her legs, burying her head in her knees.

 _What am I even doing? Why am I being this emotional and dramatic? It's not like me at all…_

Lucy didn't think she could blame it on Abby, she had heard her friend say basically the same thing many times before. The only thing that has changed is…

 _Is Natsu the reason I'm crying like this? Not directly, but what I said about forgetting where I am when I talk to him is true. He makes me feel like a normal person. He sees me for who I am and doesn't care that my family is rich…_

And then everything clicked in Lucy's mind. It all fit together like some sort of impossible puzzle that she's been trying to solve for years.

 _That's what I want. I want to be normal like him. I don't want to be Miss Lucy Heartfilia anymore. I just want to be Lucy. I hate this place and I hate my life here. I don't have any real friends and I don't have any dreams or goals. It's like I'm just stuck in an empty and worthless existence and I'm just waiting for my life to pass me by._

Lucy picked up her head and began to wipe away her tears.

 _I don't want to sit around in my room every day after school. I don't just want to write about adventures, I want to experience them myself. I want to leave and I don't care if I end up broke because of it. I want to be free._

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom swung open. The blonde girl widened her eyes in surprise when she saw who was entering.

"Natsu?" She gasped, staring at the teenage boy barging into the- "What are you doing?! This is the _girl's_ bathroom!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever." He said not turning away. Instead, he walked over to where Lucy was sitting and kneeled down next to her. "What's wrong? I heard you crying."

"What? I-" Lucy stammered, unsure of what to say. She was caught up in the eyes of the boy. She was so used to seeing them reckless and wild but now they were serious, filled with worry and maybe something else a bit beyond that.

"Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?" He persisted, clenching his hands together in a tight fist. She realized that the other emotion in his eyes was anger. She let her mouth fall open into a look of wonder. He was angry because he thought someone had made her cry. Did he really care about her that much? He barely even knew her…

"Natsu, you're in the girl's bathroom. You should leave before-"

"I don't care." He quickly said before she could finish. "There's not a chance in hell I'm leaving you now."

"Thanks." Lucy mumbled. She was starting to feel the heat of Natsu's body as he was kneeling so close to her. Yet another blush colored her cheeks but since she was already so red and puffy from crying it really didn't make a difference.

"Tell me what happened." Natsu demanded. "Is there someone I need to beat up for you?"

That got Lucy to chuckle a bit. The thought of the happy go lucky Natsu getting in a fight was silly just to think about. But still, the gesture was sweet.

"No. I just came in here to clear my head." Lucy sighed.

"And this is how you clear your head?" Natsu asked confused, scratching his head.

"No, it's just I have a lot going on and it all got pretty stressful. I was feeling trapped and suffocated by being here and I needed to get away but I couldn't and… it all just got very overwhelming." She admitted, not completely sure why she was spilling everything out to the boy she had known for just a week. It probably had to do with the kindness he has shown her.

"You're pretty weird." Natsu said bluntly.

"Are you kidding?" Lucy said raising her voice, although she wasn't really mad. "I spill my guts out to you and that's all you have to say? You're an idiot!"

"Yeah well you weren't making any sense…"

"I was too making sense!"

"No yah weren't"

"Yes I was!"

"Nah, just a bunch of nonsense."

"You're just an idiot!"

"And you're a weirdo."

"Idiot!" Lucy screamed again, but by now a smile was creeping onto her face. Natsu really could make her forget about everything else.

"Weirdo!" He replied back with his giant goofy smile, enjoying seeing Lucy so flustered very much.

"Ugh! I don't have the time to argue with you!" Lucy said throwing her hands into the air in utter defeat. She remembered one of her favorite quotes by Mark Twain: "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience". Looking at the silly pink haired boy in front of her, she couldn't think of a situation where that statement applied more.

"Yes I win!"

"No I gave up. There's a difference." Lucy said expecting him to argue that too, but he surprised her instead.

"Let's get out of here." He said, standing up and offering her a hand. She took it hesitantly, but had her doubts.

"I don't really feel like going back to class yet." She admitted.

"Perfect, me neither! I meant let's get out of this stupid school and have some fun!"

"What?" Lucy asked shocked. "You mean like ditch school? I'd never-"

"You really are weird, aren't yah?" He said. "I thought you were just saying how you were feeling trapped and wanted to get away."

"Well yes but, I've never skipped school before."

"Whelp, there's a first time for everything!"

"What if someone sees us?"

"They won't. I'm basically a ninja." Natsu replied with a smirk.

"But if I miss any classes, the school will call my parents."

"They'll forgive you. Probably."

"But I-"

"Do you want to get away or not?" Natsu asked, much more serious. "I don't know how it feels to be confined somewhere but I do know how it feels to be free." Then his face broke into his best crooked smile. "And it's the best feeling in the world."

Lucy couldn't help but smile right back at him. Her heart raced with excitement. She was actually going to do it. She was going to ditch school and have some fun. She was going to be free, if only for a day.

"Let's do it."


	5. Chapter 4: A Day with Natsu

Chapter 4

A Day with Natsu

"Whoa, your apartment is amazing!" Lucy said in awe as Natsu led her through the threshold of his makeshift home.

"You think so? I mean it's pretty small and when you share it with a control freak and a slob-"

"I think it's wonderful." Lucy said as she walked through the small but clean kitchen into a cozy living room area. The couch looked particularly big and comfortable with its fuzzy chocolate brown material, not at all like the stiff leather ones she had in her house.

"I'm glad you like it."

"And your view is great too." Lucy said looking out the window and down into the park below. Since school was still in session, not many kids were down there but it still looked quaint and beautiful. The local park consisted of a pond with a grassy area and a path around it, a small playground, and a baseball field close by. The whole thing looked green and lovely with plenty of big shade trees and colorful scenery.

"If you like the park so much then let's go down and take a visit." Natsu said as he watched Lucy stare enviously out the window. "I just gotta get out of this awful uniform first."

"That sounds like fun." Lucy replied with wide eyes. She had never been to a public park before. Her parents never wanted her to mix with other children or risk the germs and dirtiness of a playground, saying that tea time out in their massive gardens was more proper for a young lady like her. She heard Natsu disappear into his bed room, probably to grab some different clothes like he said. The girl planned on changing too and was grateful that she always kept a spare change of clothes in her backpack.

She was about to get up to find the bathroom when she saw Natsu emerge from the other room. He had already changed into a comfortable looking pair of loose fitting pants that tied off below his knees, but that wasn't what made her jaw drop to the floor. His chest was completely bare as he held a shirt in his hands, about to go through the motion of putting it on. But in those few moments before he could, Lucy was frozen in a mixture of shock and awe.

It wasn't like she had never seen a guy shirtless before. Between visits to the beach and pool side parties, she had seen plenty, but Natsu was something else entirely. The first thing she noticed was that he was absolutely ripped. Lean muscles shifted beneath his skin, lacing his body and not leaving any room for an extra ounce of fat. His chest and arms were defined by the strength beneath them and his abs were enough to make any guy jealous and make any girl to drool. Lucy couldn't believe she hadn't noticed how fit he was before, but she blamed that on the horrible and baggy uniforms they were forced to wear.

The next thing she noticed was the peculiar tattoo he had just below his right shoulder. The design was a bright fiery red color and looked like some sort of creature with wings and a tail. It was an odd thing for a teenage boy to have so there must be some sort of meaning behind it.

The final thing she noticed about him was that a thin diagonal scar was sliced across his neck. So what he had told the teacher on that first day wasn't a complete lie. She hadn't noticed it before because his white scarf was always covering it, but the gash was anything but embarrassing. To the imaginative blonde girl it looked like a battle wound a warrior would take home as a war token, but of course, she knew that was completely ridiculous.

Natsu pulled the thin light blue t-shirt over his head and Lucy was snapped out of her trance.

 _God, I must have been staring at him like some sort of stalker freak. Better say something quick before he realizes you were-_

"Something wrong?" He asked looking right at her. Flustered, she searched for a believable cover story-

"That's an interesting tattoo, you got there." She said, hoping he would think that was all she was staring at.

"Oh yeah." He said with a smile. "It's actually more of an emblem but same difference I guess."

"What kind of creature is it?" She asked, becoming more interested in his strange marking. What did he mean by emblem?

 _Don't tell me he's in some sort of gang…_

"It's a fairy!"

 _Nope, definitely not a gang._ Lucy laughed.

"And what compelled you to put a fairy on your arm? And why does it have a tail?"

"But that's the point! No one really knows if fairies have tails. It's an eternal question and that means an eternal adventure."

 _Where does he come up with this stuff?_

"Huh, well it's pretty unique so I'll give you that." Lucy said as she reached into her bag to grab her change of clothes. "Where's your bathroom? I need to change too."

"Right over there." He replied pointing towards the small hallway.

She hustled away, relieved to be alone for a moment. It wasn't until she closed the bathroom door behind her before she realized how hard she was breathing. How the heck is Natsu so muscular? And that scar he has… maybe he _is_ in some sort of gang. She recalled that thing he said about beating someone up for her and after seeing those long and defined arms of his maybe she could believe it. But still, he's _Natsu._ A sweet and care free boy like that could never actually be in a gang or anything like that. Could he? The fact was that she knew virtually nothing about him and that was really starting to make her curious.

She changed into a simple white tank top and jean shorts. Hopefully she could put all of that out of her head and just enjoy her free day. She was going to the park; it's about time she got excited.

"Alright I'm ready!" She called as she walked back into the living room. She saw Natsu waiting for her and she noted that he had his white scarf back around his neck. He probably doesn't go anywhere without it.

"Awesome but first there's someone I want you to meet!" Natsu declared. His face was mischievous and he was holding his hands behind his back.

"Who?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is my best friend Happy." He said, bringing his hands around to reveal a small blue cat in his arms.

"Meow." The cat said, although somehow to Lucy it did sound quite like a cat…

"It's blue!" She gasped, shocked. "Why the hell is it blue?!"

"Happy's not an 'it', he's my friend." Natsu replied with a frown, completely ignoring her qualms about the color of his fur.

"I'm sorry but-" Lucy trailed off, shaking her head. She decided not to question in any further. She just hoped Natsu wasn't a crazy person who dyed that poor cat blue. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Let's just get down to the park."

"Fine by me. You wanna come, little buddy?" Natsu asked, his smile back in full force.

"Meow." The cat said bluntly. Well that is if cats could sound blunt.

 _What a weird little pet_. Lucy thought as she looked at the cat's large and expressive eyes and capable paws. She shrugged it off though, deciding that at some point she would try to delve deeper into the past of the strange pink haired boy and figure out some of his stranger qualities.

"Alrighty then." Natsu said to Happy, setting him down on the floor. "See yah later."

The two teens hurried out of the apartment, but Lucy couldn't help but look back at the blue cat as he crossed his arms- no paws- and looked angrily at his master as they left.

The park was especially beautiful that day. A soft wind blew gently over the ground, brushing the grass into steady waves as the individual blades danced along to the rhythm of the final days of summer. The flowers were bright and colorful after many weeks of pure sunshine and the dazzling sunlight glinted off the crisp surface of the pond not too far away. The sky was the purest blue color Lucy had ever seen and without a single cloud in its endless domain, it seemed larger and more pure than it ever had before.

"Race you to the swings!" Natsu called out suddenly, while Lucy was still admiring the blue sky. Without warning, Natsu surged forward into a dead sprint headed straight towards the playground. She giggled and tried to catch up.

"Wait for me!" She hollered out to him, enjoying the feeling of stretching her legs.

"I can't!" he called back. "That's why it's a race."

Despite his words, it really wasn't a race at all. Lucy couldn't even begin to give him any competition. That boy ran _fast._ Even though he was a male and she wasn't in the best shape, the velocity at which his legs moved made hers look like they were in slow motion. She had barely taken two steps when he was already sitting on the swings.

"Dang you run fast." Lucy said breathing hard as she took a seat on the swing next to him.

"Awe that was nothing. You should see me go all out!"

"I'd like that." She said, half expecting him to jump up and start sprinting again, but he stayed still and rubbed the back of his neck, like he had done something wrong.

"Not today though. It's too hot."

"Sure, sure." Lucy smiled at his obvious bluff. "More of a cold weather person?"

"Nah, I hate ice and especially people who use it! But I never get cold so there's that I guess."

"You hate people who _use_ ice? Do you mean like ice skaters or something?" She asked, curious at his word choice. Natsu widened his eyes a little, realizing his mistake. He started rambling, trying to cover it up.

"No I didn't mean _use_ ice, cause no one can use ice like a wizard or something that's just crazy and-" Natsu squinted his eyes, thinking carefully about his words and looked flustered when he came up with the wrong ones.

"I think it would be pretty awesome." Lucy said suddenly. "Being a wizard, I mean."

"You do?" Natsu asked in awe.

"Yeah, I love reading fantasy books. Witches, vampires, werewolves, I love all that stuff. It's funny you mentioned wizards because I'm a big fan of Harry Potter, too. I think it would be so cool to go to Hogwarts and be a wizard like him."

"Harry Potter?" Natsu said skeptically. "What kind of bull crap is that?"

Lucy laughed. He looked almost offended.

"Don't judge me until you've at least seen the movies. I know you're not a big fan of reading."

"Nah, I'm sure it's a fine book but all I'm saying is that if wizards did exist they wouldn't go to somewhere called _Hogwarts_." He said crossing his arms. The defensive look on his face was so adorable, Lucy couldn't help but smile.

"Well where do you think they would go?"

"That's easy, they'd form guilds." Natsu said without thinking.

"What makes you say that?" The moment she asked, the boy stiffened up again. Lucy sighed. "You know you don't have to be on your guard around me. Speak your mind. I'm the last person who'd judge you."

Natsu looked at her strangely. She could tell he was thinking hard so she didn't interrupt him. The girl was more than content to sway back and forth on the swing and look at the handsome boy beside her.

"I think they would form guilds so they don't get lonely." He said finally, speaking from his heart. "Sure a guild would be a place where they could hone their skills or make money from taking job requests, but at the end of the day the guild would be their family. It wouldn't matter if you were an orphan or a runaway, old or young, strong or weak, you'd have a bunch of friends to protect you and you'd protect them in turn."

"That does sound nice." She said thoughtfully. Everything he described was what she wanted. Too bad wizards weren't real.

"It's the best." He agreed, looking up longingly at the sky.

"You sound like you know from experience." Lucy said, attempting to dig deeper in his past. To her surprise, he didn't back away like he normally did.

"Maybe I do. That's what it's like with Erza, Gray and Happy. I guess you could say they're my family now." Lucy nodded at his words. She had assumed he didn't have any parents but now that suspicion was confirmed. She wanted to ask what happened, but she didn't want to ask for what he wasn't ready to tell.

"What are they like?" She asked instead.

"Well Gray is an annoying jerk with a stripping habit."

"A stripping habit? Really?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yup, no matter what he does, he always ends up without his clothes on. I think he does it without even realizing it. Remember the first day of school when I got detention? Later that day, the principle caught his without his shirt on and gave him one too."

"I heard a rumor that the new kid took his shirt of but I didn't believe it! That's hilarious!"

"It was! You should've seen Mr. Arnolds face when he asked Gray what he got a detention for."

"I can imagine it resembled a preacher whose daughter got a tramp stamp." Lucy said, rubbing her chin.

"Nah, it looked more like a squash."

"A squash?"

"Yeah, don't you think his face looks like a squash?"

Lucy laughed again at one of the many weird things that came out of his mouth. Shaking her head to get the giggles out, she asked him another question.

"And what is Erza like? She's in one of my classes but doesn't talk much."

"Listen to me Lucy and listen really good." Natsu said, getting serious all of a sudden. The no nonsense look on his face was almost comical. "If you want to keep your life, never make Erza angry."

"And what happens if she gets angry?"

"Bad things, Lucy. Very bad things."

"Have you ever made her mad?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"Too many times. Way too many times."

After getting tired of the swings (Natsu could never sit in one place for too long), the two students searched for other things to do in the park. At first glance, Lucy was at a loss, but with someone like Natsu, even the most ordinary things were filled with laughter and fun. They went over to the carousel and Natsu spun her around so fast she nearly puked. She asked him if he wanted a turn on top, but he quickly refused. Next they walked down to the pond and watched as a mother duck led her little babies across the water. The boy decided he wanted to swim with them but Lucy held him pack and pointed at the sigh that clearly said "no swimming". Giving her a mischievous smirk, he grabbed her by her waist and threw her right into the water with ease.

"Natsu!" She screamed as her body soared through the air and crashed into the cool surface of the pond. Once she resurfaced, wiping the water from her eyes. "What the hell?"

"Live a little!" He shouted as he jumped in beside her in cannonball formation.

The ducks were startled at first by the invasion of the humans, but miraculously they didn't swim away as Natsu slowly approached them.

"Hey there." He said gently as he floated beside the little ducklings.

Wiping the water from her eyes, Lucy watched in amazement as he watched him interact with the wild animals. How was he doing that? Was he some sort of animal whisperer? They swam and hung out in the pond for a lot longer than she thought they would, seeing how she was terrified someone might see them and get them in trouble, but as she floated on her back and let the dark pond water soak up the delicate gold of her hair she couldn't help but think she'd never felt more free.

Eventually though, her clothes began to weigh her down and it was time to get out of the water. The two drenched teens hobbled over to the grassy shore and plopped down onto the warm dry grass. They allowed the sun to dry their clothes and hair as they laid there for hours, watching the clouds pass by in the brilliant blue sky above, trying to identify what each cloud most closely resembled. Oddly enough, Natsu thought every cloud looked like a dragon.

"See, that's its tail and its head is over there." He said pointing at a generic fluffy white blob above him.

"I think you're crazy."

"No I'm not! See those two longer strips up there? Those are its wings."

"Okay then what's all that over there?" Lucy giggled, humoring him as she pointed up at the sky as well.

"That's the fire he's breathing."

For Lucy, the time was going by much too fast. She enjoyed hanging out at the park with Natsu more than she thought she would and that was saying something. Even though they only really talked about stupid random things, she felt like she was learning more about him. And what she saw so far was absolutely amazing. He was kind and warm, but wasn't afraid to get in trouble. He didn't give a damn about what anyone thought of him, but he always listened to her opinion. He was lighthearted and childish, but she felt so safe when they were together. If she had to picture his soul, it would be a warm fire. Not the dangerous and raging destructive fire, but something warm and inviting, flickering in the night sky.

"School must be out." He commented casually as he laid down with his hands behind his head. Lucy followed his gaze to the group of young boys heading out onto the baseball field close by.

"Yeah, looks like an after school pickup game."

"What are they doing with those sticks?" He asked, eyeing the long wooden bats they swung around in their arms.

"What did they not have baseball in California?" Lucy asked. There was no way he's never heard of baseball, right?

"No it's just that I've never played."

"Me neither." Lucy said with a frown. Back when she was little she wanted to try out sports, but her parents didn't want her getting down and dirty.

"Wanna give it a go?" Natsu asked jumping up to his feet. His clothes were mostly dry now and his pink hair was sticking back up like usual.

"What we can't just crash their game like that."

"Why not?" He said offering her a hand. "They're little kids, I'm sure they'd love for us to play with them."

"But I have no idea how to play baseball."

"Well I don't either so don't worry about it."

Sighing, Lucy grabbed his hand and got up to her feet. She had always wanted to try out sports. They walked over to the field and as soon as she saw the kids she wasn't so nervous anymore. They really were little, probably not even in middle school yet.

"Hey guys, mind if we join you?" Natsu called out, friendly as he gracefully leaped over the fence that separated the field from the rest of the park.

"Yeah sure!" One of the little boys called back. He was barely five foot tall and had olive skin with short black hair. "Come on over!"

"Great! Come on, Lucy!"

The girl came over the fence too, although she wasn't nearly as graceful as Natsu. While he'd simply leaped over the fence using just one hand on the top to swing himself over, she had to claw and climb her way up and then land on the other side with a massive thud. Natsu chuckled slightly at her efforts.

"Smooth."

"Shut up."

Lucy and Natsu took the field with the kids, incorporating themselves into the game flawlessly. The blond girl quickly learned that it was probably a good thing her parents never allowed her to play sports because she was truly dreadful. While at bat, she couldn't even manage to make contact with the pitch thrown by a particularly scrawny boy barely over the decade mark and to top it off, she dropped an easy throw straight to her while guarding second base. Natsu, on the other hand was a natural. He hit the ball with such ease it was as if he could hit the tiny baseball as far as he wanted to and he didn't drop the ball once. The power with which he moved his body and the natural shapes he made as he ran and jumped made Lucy realize just how athletic he was, but that wasn't the only thing that surprised her.

Natsu was great with the kids. He laughed and joked with them, gave them a challenge but never went too tough, and in a couple of hours it looked like he was their beloved big brother. Despite the girl's lack of talent in the sport, she had a fantastic time out on the field.

"Awe come one!" One of the boys pleaded as Natsu said that it was time to go. "Just one more game, please!"

"Sorry, Alex. Your mom is going to want you home for dinner." He replied, squatting down to ruffle the boy's brown hair.

"Can we play again sometime?"

"You better believe it!"

The two teens hung back on the field as they watched the kids file out and begin to walk home. Looks of fondness graced both sets of eyes as Lucy let out a sigh.

"They were awesome."

"Yeah." Natsu agreed and then quirked his mouth up into a sneaky smile. "And they sure did kick your butt, Lucy." She opened her mouth to protest but then just shrugged.

"No arguments here. But you were awesome, Natsu. And you've never played before?"

"Nope, but it was actually pretty cool."

"Maybe you should try out for our school team. I'm sure you'd make it."

"Nah." Natsu replied. "That's not really my style."

"And what is your style." She asked amused.

"That's a secret." He said oh so mysteriously and before she could protest the pink haired boy grabbed his stomach and let out a moan. "Ah man I'm hungry. We need to get something to eat."

"I know a good burger place." Lucy said giggling at the giant rumble his belly gave. "One night while my parents were out of town, our butler Pierre took me out to get a burger and I remember it was one of the best things I've ever tasted."

By the time the two had traveled to the secluded burger joint and had eaten their meals, Natsu agreed with Lucy. It was one of the best things he's ever tasted. Lucy enjoyed the burger as well but it was almost as nice of a treat to visit a place that held such good memories. Bellies satisfied and full of smiles, they left the small burger joint to see that the sun had already set and that the darkness of night was upon them. Not wanting to go home just yet, Lucy and Natsu sat down on a bench and looked up at the brilliant clear sky.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight." The girl said in awe, tilting her head back for a better view. She couldn't help but feel her skin prickle as she felt Natsu's arm brush up against hers. He was sitting so close to her.

"This is nothing." He replied, not impressed. "You should see the stars when you're not so close to a big city."

"I can barely imagine it."

"They shine as bright as the moon and they fill up the whole sky from either horizon. When I was a kid me and my dad would lay outside and fall asleep watching the stars."

Lucy's ears pricked in interest as he mentioned his dad for the first time.

"Do you miss it?" She spoke the words casually, but really she meant something deeper. Do you miss _him_?

"Yeah." He said, knowing exactly what she meant. "I miss him a lot."

"What happened?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. She kept her eyes focused on the sky so she wouldn't have to look at the boy who had tensed up beside her.

"He's gone. He left around seven years ago and I haven't seen him since."

"Oh, Natsu." She said, turning to look him straight in the eyes. They were big and sad, but wistful at the same time. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's alright." He said, but Lucy knew better. She had seen that very look in her own eyes. It was the one you got when it really wasn't alright at all.

"I know how it feels to be abandoned too." She said, letting out a deep breath. "I guess my birth parents never wanted me because I've been at an orphanage since I was just a year old. I grew up there until I was adopted by my parents. They love me and made me a part of their family, but I've always wondered who my biological parents were and why they didn't want me."

"Maybe they didn't have a choice." Natsu said gently. Suddenly, Lucy felt a warmth close around her hand. Natsu had taken it and held it in his own hand, warm and large. Even by the small gesture, she felt a great deal of comfort. However, she also couldn't help the blush that had risen on her cheeks. This was the first time she'd ever held hands with a boy.

"I don't know about that."

"Well one thing's for sure." He said, gripping her hand tighter. "If they could meet you now, there's no way they would ever give you up."

"You think so?" She said her eyes sparkling. That might just be the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to her.

"Of course. You may be weird, but you're also pretty awesome, Luce."'

She broke down into a giggle. It was amazing how he could make her feel so much better with such few words. She felt her heart skip a beat as he called her 'Luce'. After so many years of hearing Miss Lucy, it was a breath of fresh air to be given a nickname like that.

As she looked at the handsome young man she saw a lot of things. She saw his messy pink hair and his scaly white scarf. She saw his muscular arms and his nimble fingers clutched around her own. She saw his wild eyes and his devilish crooked grin, but most of all she saw that he'd gone through hardship in the past to but had come out of it an energetic and caring person. She couldn't deny the blushes or the wild heart beats any more. She liked him. She liked him a lot.

"You're pretty awesome too, Natsu." She replied, wishing she could come up with some cute nick name for him too, but falling flat. His name just seemed to fit him so well, anything else would sound fake.

Subconsciously she felt herself leaning towards him and maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her but she could swear he was moving towards her too. Suddenly, her heart started beating even faster and she felt herself start to sweat. She began to panic. Was he about to kiss her? She wasn't ready for this. It was all happening so fast-

"I should go home." She blurted out, pulling away and tugging her hand away from his. "It's late and my parents are probably worried sick."

"I'll walk you home." Natsu offered, standing up, not looking phased by her sudden outburst.

 _Maybe he wasn't about to kiss me. Did I imagine the whole thing?_

"No it's alright." Lucy said quickly. One thing for sure was that she needed some time alone to clear her head before being yelled at by her parents for skipping and being out late. "My house isn't too far away from here, so I'll be okay."

"But how will I know you made it home safely?" He asked with a slight frown.

"If you give me your number, I can text you when I get back." Lucy said, pulling out her iPhone. She had it turned off all day and was dreading the number of texts and voicemails she would have.

"I don't have a phone." He said bluntly, looking at hers with a look of skepticism.

"You don't?" She asked confused. Yeah he wasn't rich or anything but _everyone_ this day and age had a phone. Just when she thought she had him figured out, he would go and surprise her again.

"Nope. I think they're kind of stupid."

"What?" Lucy said but then just shook her head. "You know what never mind. I'll just have to see you at school tomorrow."

"Alright." Natsu said crossing his arms, clearly not pleased with her solution.

"And Natsu." She said right before turning to walk away. "Thank you for today. That's the most fun I've had for as long as I can remember."

"No problem." He said flashing her his signature wide smile. "I had fun too."

"Goodnight, Natsu."

"Night, Luce."

As she turned to walk away, she felt her heart give another tremble as she heard her name come out of his lips.

XXX

"How many times to I have to say I'm sorry?" Lucy pleaded as her parents' yells had yet to lose their volume.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, young lady!" Her father roared. "You skipped your classes which we pay a great deal of money for you to attend and then when you finally return home it's at this ungodly hour!"

 _Since when has 10:30 been qualified as an ungodly hour?_ Lucy commented silently although she didn't dare voice her comment because she really did feel guilty. Not regretful though, this had been one of the best days of her life.

"I cannot apologize enough. I promise this won't happen again."

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Her mother said for probably the fifth time. "We had the police out searching for you and everything! Why couldn't you just answer your phone?"

"I had it shut off." Lucy repeated.

"What were you thinking?" Her father demanded. "What were you even doing for all these hours?"

"I was at the park with a friend." Lucy admitted softly. She didn't know if this made her parents more or less angry, but her father continued to use his deep dangerous voice.

"And who was this friend?"

"He goes to Martin." She said, hoping that they would assume he was a polite rich boy.

"He?"

"He's just a friend." She repeated, not wanting them to get the wrong idea.

"So you skipped school to spend the day with a boy?" Her mom asked disapprovingly.

"It's not that-"

"Then what is it?" Her dad yelled, not giving her a chance to explain herself. For the first time, Lucy was beginning to feel mad herself. "Make us understand!"

"I just wanted to have fun for a change!" Lucy yelled. "I've always been told what to do, how to dress, and what to say. I just wanted a chance to do something I wanted. For one day I wanted to feel like I could make my own choices!"

To her surprise, the tone of her dad's voice softened, although it was still very stern.

"You can make your own choices, Lucy. It's just that you are a proper young lady who needs to set a good example for everyone else. If you are to inherit my company one day, you must learn that what you want is not always the right thing to do."

Lucy's heart sank. She hated it when her dad talked about her inheriting his company. She didn't know what she wanted to do with her life but it certainly wasn't spending her days in an office building overseeing a manufacturing company she didn't care about. She wasn't sure how she was going to respond but before she could open her mouth, her mother chimed in.

"We're sorry you feel that way, Lucy dear." She said sweetly, reaching out to pull her daughter into a hug. "But I promise it's not true. Your father and I love you so much and we care about what you want. Perhaps you could invite this friend of yours over for dinner one night. I'd love the chance to meet him."

"I um-" Lucy stammered. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to see who exactly her friend was. It wasn't that she was ashamed of him, it was just that she feared her parents would judge and hate him the second they saw his rosy hair. But at the same time she couldn't say no, not when her mom was trying to be understanding. "That sounds nice. Thanks mom."

"Now get to bed." She said. "We can discuss this more in the morning."

 _Can't wait._ The girl thought as she hobbled up the grand staircase for a much needed rest.


	6. Chapter 5: The Dinner Party

Chapter 5

The Dinner Party

As Natsu walked home that same night to his apartment, he thought long and hard. In fact, he was pretty sure the last time he had thought this hard… well it was a long time ago that's for sure.

The point is that the dragon slayer was very confused. When he first met Lucy, he thought the only reason he was being friendly and talking to her was to get information on her past so that they could figure out why she has traces of magic deep inside her.

But then weird things started to happen. He became genuine friends with her. She was a truly nice person with pretty brown eyes and a big heart and he hated the idea that he was manipulating her. Of course he knew it wasn't _really_ manipulation, that sort of thing just wasn't the kind of person he was, but still, no one could deny the fact that he wasn't being completely honest with her. After all he's a powerful fire wizard who was born in a different world and was raised by a dragon.

 _I wish I could tell her_. Natsu thought. It would make things so much simpler, but then he remembered the giant lecture Erza gave him about how no one could know their secret because of blah blah blah. He hadn't really paid attention but he picked up on the important parts and according to the scary red head's logic, both worlds would spontaneously combust if any one were to learn the truth about him. Personally, he didn't buy it but there was no way he was going to contradict Erza, so he was forced to feed Lucy lies about who he was and where he came from.

The thing was, he wasn't sure why this bothered him so much. After all, she was only just a part of his mission right? He was supposed to just figure out why she has magic and then complete the main mission and go home and never see her again.

The thought of never seeing her again sent a painful sting through his chest.

 _She's my friend. That's why I hate not being able to tell her…_

There was no doubt in his mind that Lucy was his friend. He loved making her laugh and he loved hanging out with her. He loved seeing her face when she couldn't manage to hit the stupid little baseball. He loved watching her look up at the clouds and he loved talking to her. He just loved spending time with her and even now, having only seen her a few moments ago, he already missed her.

And he felt so sad when she told him about feeling abandoned. He knew exactly how that felt and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Well that and to kick the ass of whatever idiot parents gave her up. But the only thing he could think to do was reach out and grab her hand. It felt so delicate and small all wrapped up in his. He liked seeing her react with a faint smile and blush. That moment was so nice but so weird at the same time. Just touching her skin… he had been around plenty of girls before. Between being teammates with Erza and hanging around the rest of the girls in his guild, he was more than used to the other gender. But somehow Lucy was different. And that was the thing that Natsu couldn't quite put his finger on. The only thing he was really sure of was that he wanted this year to pass as slowly as possible. He didn't want to say goodbye to the strange blonde girl just yet.

When he finally made it back to the apartment, Gray, Erza and Happy were waiting for him in the living room. However, Natsu was still deep in his thoughts when he plopped down on the couch next to Gray and didn't hear them say hello.

"Natsu? Earth to Natsu?" Gray said waving a hand in front of his face to snap him out of it. "Anyone in that thick pink head of yours?"

"Maybe he's still thinking about his date." Happy swooned with a childish smile as he sat on the coffee table.

"The fire idiot is actually thinking? Who would've guessed that was possible?"

"Natsu! Snap out of it." Erza commanded and at the sound of her voice Natsu popped out of his trance.

"Wah?"

"How'd it go?" Erza asked with her arms crossed as she sat on the recliner.

"Yeah are you in _loooooove_?" Happy said with a giggle.

"How'd what go?" Natsu asked, not following the conversation.

"You spent the whole day with that Lucy chick, right?" Gray said. "So did you find out anything useful about her? Erza and I spent the whole day trying to research her and her family using one of those computer things at the library but we ended up with nothing unusual."

"Well yeah, she likes to read a bunch and is not very good a baseball-"

"Did you learn anything of importance, Natsu?" Erza said with a scowl.

Natsu dipped his head and frowned. What Lucy had told him was private stuff and he didn't really feel comfortable talking about it freely.

"Well there is one thing." He said, feeling awfully guilty. "She'd adopted."

"WHAT?!" Gray and Erza shouted at the same time.

"You mean we spent all day in that damn library researching the Freeman name for nothing?" Gray screamed, pulling on his inky black hair.

"No." Erza said, regaining her composure with a steady breath. "That's impossible. Like Gray said we spent all day researching Lucy and her family. Nowhere did any of the articles about the Freemans say that Lucy is adopted."

"I thought it was pretty obvious." Natsu said with a smug grin, relishing that he knew something that the mighty Erza didn't. "I mean her name _is_ Lucy Heartfilia. She doesn't even have the same last name as her parents."

"Ah you got to be kidding me!" Gray groaned and then swung his head over in Erza's direction. "I thought you said her last name was Freeman?"

"While I was asking about her around school someone told me that her parents were Max and Gloria Freeman so I assumed she carried the same name." Erza commented. "And I had no reason to doubt it. Like I said every source on the internet refers to Lucy as Lucy Freeman."

"Huh?" Natsu echoed. "Am I the only one not following this?"

Erza closed her eyes in deep thought for a moment, running through different possibilities in her head. Why would the public know the blonde teenager as Lucy Freeman while in her private life she was called Lucy Heartfilia? It didn't make sense. The boys looked on at Erza curiously as the redhead sank deep into thought. After years of working with her, Natsu and Gray had learned to leave Erza alone while she was thinking. And it payed off. Suddenly, Erza's eyes shot back open and she began to rummage through some papers in her back pack. Isolating one particular document, she held it up to the boys.

"Look." She said eagerly. "This is one of the online articles about Lucy and her father that I printed off at the library. It refers to Lucy as Lucy _Heartfilia_ Freeman. Heartfilia isn't her last name it's her middle name! Well, legally speaking at least."

"Why would anyone need three names?" Natsu pondered, clearly missing the point.

"It's a tradition here in America but that part doesn't matter." Erza continued hastily. "Judging from what you've told me about Lucy so far, I can tell that she is a sentimental person who doesn't like being in the spotlight because of her family. I think that when Lucy was adopted she chose to keep the surname that was given to her at birth, the surname of her biological parents. That's why you and the whole school knows her as Lucy Heartfilia- that's what she _wants_ to be called."

"You know now that you mention it, I do remember her saying something about why she didn't want to take her parent's last name." Natsu mentioned. "She said she liked having a part of her biological parents with her wherever she goes. And you're right, Lucy already hates all the attention she gets from her parents being so rich and it'd probably only be worse if she started walking around with the last name Freeman."

"From what I've read, this Max Freeman, Lucy's adopted father, seems like a very suspicious character. I wouldn't put it past him to go behind his own daughters back to ensure that legally her last name is Freeman."

"Do you think that Lucy knows?" Natsu asked.

"I would assume so. Judging from this world's utter dependence on "Google" I'm sure she's done a search on herself before. However, her father is a very powerful man. I doubt there is much she could do about it."

"All this sounds rather suspicious to me." Gray said, voicing his opinion. "Clearly the name we need to be researching is Heartfilia- that could give us a clue about where Lucy actually comes from. The Freemans have nothing to do with it. Well, except for the fact that Max and Gloria Freeman are trying to pass Lucy off as their biological daughter. That's why all the articles talk about Lucy as if Heartfilia isn't her last name."

"Natsu, I don't suppose Lucy knows who her biological parents are, does she?" Erza asked.

"Nope. Not a clue."

"Then Gray is right. We just wasted our time researching the Freeman name, but at the same time using the internet to search for people named Heartfilia won't get us anywhere. Even though it is pretty uncommon, there would still be thousands of options that we wouldn't be able to narrow down. The much more important question to ask is why the Freemans want the general public to think that Lucy is their biological daughter. Perhaps they know something about Lucy that we don't."

"Or maybe it's cause Lucy's parents love her so much that they want her to have the same name as them!" Happy offered hopefully. Natsu went to give his little friend a high five, but Erza shook her head.

"No, I don't think it's that simple." Then she turned to Natsu. "Did she mention which Foster home she grew up in?"

"Yeah she said it was called something like Clemson Children's home or something like that."

"Perfect." Erza said, clapping her hands. "Alright, Gray, Happy and I will take a visit there tomorrow."

"What about me?" Natsu asked. He didn't particularly want to miss out on seeing Lucy at school tomorrow, but he didn't want to be left out of the mission either.

"Your job is to talk to Lucy's parents. See what they know about the girl they adopted."

"But I've never even met her parents!" Natsu protested. "And I can't just go barging into their house!"

"Then get invited over." Gray said like it was obvious. "She's your friend ain't she?"

"Well yeah, but… okay whatever." Natsu said.

Gray stood up and stretched, announcing that he was headed for bed. After he was gone, Erza stood up as well but lingered with a worried look in Natsu's direction.

"What's wrong, Erza?"

"It's just that… be careful around Lucy, okay?" She said, casting her gaze towards the floor.

"What makes yah say that?"

"Just remember that no matter what happens we will have to leave come the end of our year here. We will leave everything here behind and never see it again, and that includes Lucy."

"Yeah, I know." Natsu mumbled. If only Erza knew just how well he knew that fact.

"That's all I had to say. Goodnight, Natsu."

"Night."

The dragon slayer let out a deep sigh and slouched down on the big comfy couch once Erza left the room.

"Natsu." Happy said, reminding him that he was still there.

"What?"

"Never make me act like a normal cat again." The blue cat said in an annoyed blunt voice.

Suddenly, Natsu's sour mood vanished into a big laugh.

"That was hilarious!" He said, now rolling on the floor in laughter. "Meow!"

"Shut up Natsu! It's not funny!"

"Oh come on, it's pretty funny."

"No it's not!"

"Yeah it is!"

"Natsu!" The cat shouted, but his pink partner's laughter was just too contagious. They laughed together, relieved to get some of the tension off their shoulders.

XXX

Natsu walked slowly through the hallways of the High School with his hands shoved in his pockets. He still couldn't get over just how weird this place was. It for sure wasn't anything like his guild back home. Kids here were mean to each other and separated into different groups. Don't get him wrong, Natsu was always up for a fight, but at least after the brawls at Fairy Tail they would always celebrate and have a drink together afterwards.

Not paying attention to where he was going, he accidentally bumped into someone else and judging from their build, the person was a big heap of fat and muscle.

"Sorry." Natsu said right away.

The person he bumped into turned out to be a giant burly senior boy. His arms and legs were thick and his belly was hanging over his struggling belt. He wore an ugly scowl on his face that made it look like he was permanently frowning. His eyebrows were brown and bushy, sticking up in thick bushels that made Natsu snicker at just the sight of them. However, the large boy was not smiling back at him.

"Watch where you're going, poor kid."

"I already said I was sorry, frowny face." Natsu said crossing his arms.

"What did you just call me?" The boy said taking a step forward. Another four rather large and intimidating (to other students, not the dragon slayer) boys stepped forward to stand behind him. They must be his lackeys or something like that.

"You got some wax in those giant ears of yours, pal?" Natsu said, undaunted.

"You have any idea who I am, geek?" The boy spat back at him.

"Not a clue." Natsu shrugged. The boy growled and then one of his lackeys stepped up beside him and spoke with an arrogant smirk, sticking his long hooked nose up in the air.

"Show some respect. You're talking to Gordon Ronald. He's won the state wrestling tournament three years in a row and his father owns Ronald Airlines."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Natsu answered bluntly and then began to walk away raising a hand in farewell. "Now if you don't mind I got a class to get to-"

"You ain't going nowhere pipsqueak." Gordon said, threateningly taking a step over to block Natsu's path.

For the first time in the encounter, Natsu felt his insides begin to boil. He wanted nothing more than to punch the great big oaf in the face, but he knew that wasn't an option.

 _I hate this world._ Natsu thought grumpily. _Even if I was allowed to fight someone here it's not like it be a decent match anyway._

"Guess again, pal." Natsu said as he nimbly ducked around his fat arm and sped away before anyone could see that he was gone.

"That little punk's fast." One of the lackeys said.

"Shut up." Gordon ordered, not bothering to chase after the nuisance.

XXX

"Yo Luce." Natsu said as he took his seat next to her in their fifth period class, Biology. They sat at small lab tables that lined the classroom in two rows. They were lucky to get a table near the back of the class.

"Hey Natsu." She replied brightly. He felt immediately better after seeing her and his anger all but vanished. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just met Rordon Gornaldo." He said casually, picking up his pencil and twirling it around his fingers.

"You mean Gordon Ronald?" She replied with a giggle.

"That's the one."

"How'd you meet? I mean Gordon isn't the most welcoming person."

"You can say that again. I accidently bumped into him- which was pretty easy to do since he's massive- and then he got all mad and defensive."

"You didn't provoke him, did you?" Lucy said, alarmed.

"No! Well all I did was call him frowny face and ask him if he had wax in his ears-"

"Natsu! Promise me you won't ever say stuff like that to him again!"

"Wha? Why not?"

"He's dangerous! He's notorious for seriously hurting the people he wrestles against and whenever he gets in a fight outside the ring… those people end up in the hospital. He's a ruthless jerk, but it's better if you just let him be."

"That turns my stomach." Natsu growled, cracking his knuckles. He started to feel the familiar burn of the fire in his belly and his eyes glowed with a similar heat. It's one thing to be a jerk but if he was hurting people there's no way- Then Natsu saw the look on Lucy's face.

Her concern had all but vanished and was replaced by a look of wonder. Then Natsu remembered.

 _That's right. Lucy thinks I'm a normal person like the rest of the weaklings in this world. She has no idea that I could knock that bully out cold with a flick of my fingers._

He wasn't used to trying to calm himself down, but he did it any way for the sake of keeping his cover.

"Yeah it bothers me too, but there's nothing we can do about it." Lucy sighed after he calmed down. "Anyway I just texted my mom and she said you could come over tonight."

"Sounds good." Natsu replied. He'd almost forgotten that during lunch Lucy had invited him over to meet her parents and have dinner with her family. It had been easier than he thought to get into their house. Immediately, he felt guilty for his less than honorable intentions tonight.

"I do have to warn you, though. My parents are probably going to be pretty hard on you. They think that you're a bad influence on me, so they'll most likely ask you a bunch of tough questions."

If only Lucy knew just how bad of an influence he really was.

"Don't worry. I'm ready."

XXX

 _And I thought the school uniform was bad._ Natsu thought as he walked to Lucy's house that evening. He was about to have dinner with her family and he was dressed in these stupid looking black dress pants with a black vest over a buttoned shirt that was a very harsh shade of white. To top it off his feet were being tortured inside these shiny dress shoes that he swore made him walk lopsided. At least he was still wearing Igneel's scarf.

As Lucy's mansion came into view, he dropped his mouth in awe. He knew she was rich but he had no idea that she was _that_ rich. They could fit three of their guild halls into her house. It wasn't until then that Natsu actually started to get nervous. He wanted to make a good impression on the blonde's parents. If they liked him, then maybe they would let her get out more and see him. It was for that reason that Natsu carried a bouquet of roses in his hands. Alright so they were dead-looking and wilted and the wind crumpled them up a bit but it's the thought that matters right?

When he reached the front gates of her house, he had to be buzzed in by some funky intercom system. Natsu had no idea how a voice was coming out of a little white box, but he tried not to question it.

"Um, hi. I'm Natsu Dragneel and I'm here for dinner." He said, feeling slightly crazy for talking to an inanimate object.

"Of course. Please, come in." The magical voice said and the rod iron gates opened.

 _Who said there wasn't any magic in this world_? Natsu chuckled as he entered and began his long walk up the winding driveway.

He reached up to knock on the grand front doors, but to his surprise they swing open before he made contact with the wood. Standing at the threshold, was a thin aging man wearing a tux. He recognized it as a tux because that's what Erza wanted him to wear tonight, but he had straight up refused.

"Good evening sir." The man said in a haunting voice. "We've been expecting you. My name is Pierre and I am the Freeman's butler."

"Oh so you're Pierre!" Natsu said clapping his hands together in excitement. "Lucy's told me all about you. Is it true you never blink?"

The butler shot him back an unflinching stare.

"So it is true!"

"If you'll follow me, _Mr. Dragneel_ , I will show you to the living room." He said. Natsu could tell he was trying to hold back his annoyance. Was it something he said?

He found Lucy's mom and Lucy's dad waiting stiffly for him in the living room although there was no sign of Lucy yet. Their living room was nothing like the shabby one his apartment featured. Here, the ceiling reached up two stories and the floors were covered in a marble tile. Furniture was widely spaced apart, giving the room a spacious and expensive feel.

The mom and dad stood up from their seats on a stiff looking black leather couch and walked over to where Natsu was standing awkwardly, feeling way out of place. Pierre nodded his head and left them alone.

"You must be Mr. Dragneel." Lucy's father said with narrowed eyes. Her dad was a tall scary looking man. He had sleek black hair and a thick mustache.

"Yup, but I normally go by Natsu." He said with a smile that quickly faded as it was met by blank stares. "Um these are for you, Mrs. Freeman." He said quickly, shoving the crumpled roses in her direction.

"Well aren't these… lovely." She said taking them carefully, as if they were diseased or infected with parasites.

"My name is Max Freeman, but you will address me as sir or Mr. Freeman. Is that understood?" The man said, not wasting any time with pretending to like the boy. Just from one glance at the scruffy looking obnoxiously pink haired ruffian in a cheap suit and he disliked him even more than he had before.

"Got it." Natsu said through gritted teeth.

"And I am Gloria Freeman." The woman said, more politely than her husband. "It's lovely to meet you Natsu."

"Back at yah." The boy said, ruffling the back of his hair. Gloria cringed as if she were worried some of his pink locks might fall onto their flawless marble floor. "So where's Lucy?"

"I'm right here!" A voice called as it entered the room. Natsu looked up to see a slightly flustered looking girl walk in. "Sorry I'm late!" She said, but he wasn't paying attention anymore. He was too blown away by how she looked.

Lucy was wearing a stunning red dress that hugged her curves perfectly until in flowed out into a simple but beautiful silhouette to the floor. Her blonde hair was pulled into a fancy bun that accentuated her pretty brown eyes and delicate curves of her face.

"You look amazing." Natsu said, so caught up in her appearance that he forgot her very stern father was standing inches away.

"Thank you." She replied with a blush that matched the color of her dress. "You don't look so bad yourself."

The two continued to look curiously at the other until Max cleared his throat, interrupting the moment.

"So you've already met Natsu!" Lucy said, snapping out of it.

"Yes." Gloria said. "He's… lovely."

 _Say lovely one more time and I might actually believe you_. Natsu grumbled inside his head.

XXX

Around half an hour later, dinner was served. Natsu sat at the long shiny table that, in his opinion, was much too large for only four people, as he looked at the twenty different pieces of silverware and wondered what the heck he was supposed to do with them. On his plate was some type of fish that smelled nothing like the ones he would catch with Happy and along with it was some type of green vegetable that looked like a squid. From across the table, Lucy motioned for him to put his napkin in his lap, which the boy did not understand at all. This might have been the first time in his life that he had ever used a napkin, but he was pretty sure that having it in his lap wasn't going to do an ounce of good.

"So Natsu, what do your parents do for a living?" Lucy's father asked. He seemed to know which of the four forks you were supposed to use.

"I don't have a mom and my dad doesn't have a job." Natsu said, picking up a random fork from an assortment of many and started poking the green thing on his plate.

"Then how do you afford your living expenses?" Max asked, disgusted but not surprised by this new piece of information.

"Natsu doesn't live with his father." Lucy quickly jumped in to explain. "He and two of his friends from California share an apartment."

"How… interesting."

The conversation fell quiet again. Max looked like he was about to break his wine glass beneath his angry grip while Lucy shifted around uncomfortably in her seat. The evening was not going like she has hoped. Natsu, oblivious to the awkward silence, continued to examine the weird food on his plate.

"And how are your grades at school?" Max asked him another question.

"What'd yah mean?"

"Considering your living circumstances, your grades must be impressive to attend a prestigious school like Martin."

"Well I guess that depends on what you mean by impressive." Natsu replied cheekily.

"How about we talk about something else?" Lucy said quickly before her father could reply. She tried to think of a conversation starter but her mother beat her to it.

"I would like to know where that hair of yours comes from. It's such a… lovely color." Gloria said.

"It comes from my head." Natsu said slowly, as if she had asked the stupidest question in the world.

"Do you have any hobbies?" Max asked, searching for any redeemable quality in the teenager.

"Yeah." The pink haired boy replied dreamily as he thought of how much he rather be fighting Gray right now.

"Such as?"

"Oh, I can't tell yah what they are!" Natsu replied brightly.

"Why not?"

"It's a secret."

"Well I assure you that I can keep a secret."

"But then it wouldn't be a secret anymore."

Dinner continued in that fashion for another forty five minutes. The family chef brought them out all sorts of courses while Lucy's parents hounded Natsu with questions. Every single one mortified the blond girl more than the last while Natsu didn't seem to mind at all. He kept his calm, deflecting all the questions with vague responses that made the adults even angrier.

"Natsu, I'd like a word with you in private." Max said once dinner was over. Lucy looked absolutely terrified, but Natsu just shrugged and followed the man into the study, an ovular room lined with bookshelves and dark red walls. There was a large dark brown desk at the center with a couple armchairs facing the front of it.

"What is it you wanna talk about, old man?" The fire wizard asked, plopping himself down on an armchair.

"I thought I told you to address me as 'sir'."

"Right." He replied easily, meeting the man's harsh glare with a steady stare of his own. Natsu wasn't an idiot. He knew why he was here and he knew exactly what Max thought of him. This may not be Earthland anymore but he was sure as hell not going to let himself get walked over.

"I'm going to be very blunt with you." Mr. Freeman growled through gritted teeth. "I don't like you at all, _boy_. I think you are a disrespectful and scruffy punk who has no right to associate with my daughter. A mangy street rat like you is the worst sort of influence for my proper young lady and I forbid you from ever speaking to her again."

"Let's get one thing straight, _sir_." Natsu snarled, standing up and taking a step towards the large man, unflinching. "I don't give a damn what you think about me, but I do care about Lucy. You got another thing coming if you think you are going to tell her exactly what to do for the rest of her life. If you really love her like you say you do, then you'll let her make her own decisions."

"Who do you think you are, boy? Telling me how to raise my own daughter-"

"That reminds me of something." Natsu said, interrupting him. "Since you've been asking me questions all night I think it's my turn. Lucy is adopted but you keep trying to pass her off as your real child. I wanna know why."

"The insolence-"

"Answer me or the whole world's gunna know she's adopted." Natsu said, crossing his arms. Max looked at him in shock. Clearly he thought the pink haired boy was too dumb to blackmail someone like that.

"If you must know, it's for the company." Her dad said angrily, but Natsu could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth. "Our ownership laws are very strict and when it's time for her to inherit my business, the transaction will be simpler if we are related by blood."

"So you know nothing about Lucy's real parents?" Natsu asked. He didn't care about subtlety anymore, he just needed the information for his mission. "Or about her past?"

"What's it to you? Lucy is my child and there's nothing scandalous about her past! How dare you try to insinuate otherwise!"

Natsu raised his eyebrows. Through his heightened dragon slayer hearing, Natsu could hear that Max's heartbeat has increased, but that was probably just from anger, not from lying.

"Sorry, pal, not my intentions." The teenager said, all tension in his voice gone. He raised his hands defensively as he made his way towards the door. "I'll be going now. I would say it was nice to meet yah, but it wasn't."

"You're not going anywhere yet, boy! I'm not through talking to you!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm forbidden from seeing your daughter, I'm not good enough, blah blah blah, I get it." Natsu shrugged. "I'm not gunna listen to yah anyway so you might as well save your voice."

He raised a hand in farewell and strolled out of the study. He didn't look back but if he had, he would have seen a flabbergasted man trembling in anger. On his way out he said goodbye to Lucy, telling her he'd see her at school the next day. He grinned at her mom, thanked her for the _lovely_ night, and headed back for his apartment.

XXX

"How was your date pinky?" Gray asked as Natsu walked through the door. "Blow anything up?"

"Shut up, frosty!"

"Are you in loooooove, Natsu?" Happy giggled, floating around the room.

"What? No, it wasn't a date!"

"But you have met her parents so I guess it's pretty serious." Erza nodded, playing along.

"Bet he made a great first impression." Gray scoffed sarcastically.

"Of course not. He's Natsu." The Happy said contently.

"Well maybe he did manage to at least –"

"They hate me." Natsu said bluntly, crossing his arms. He crossed the room to collapse on the couch while his three teammates took the moment to laugh at him. Happy hopped up on the couch to sit next to him.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"But for the record I don't like them either so the feeling is mutual."

"What happened?" Erza asked. "Did you find out anything useful?"

"Other than that her parents know squat about their daughter, not really. The only reason Lucy's dad changed her official last name to Heartfilia was so that she could inherit his company without any issues."

"Well then it is fortunate that Gray and I did find out some useful information in our trip to the orphanage today."

"I helped too!" Happy piped up. "Although Erza made me act like a cat again."

"How dare she?"

"You did it too, Natsu!"

"Anyway, we went to the orphanage that Lucy said she grew up at and talked to the women in charge there." Erza said, as usual being the one to get them back on track. "She said that Lucy was brought there by a strange man when she was just a year old. Apparently, the man said that he found her on the side of a street and when he saw no identification, he brought her to the orphanage."

"What a nice guy." Natsu said casually, but then Happy smacked him on the head.

"Don't be stupid, Natsu! That obviously was just his cover story!"

"Happy's right." Erza nodded. "Knowing that Lucy has magical power within her, there has to be more to the story. I believe that this stranger has something to do with the real reason we are here. We have been searching for the connection between Lucy and the massive source of magical power Mystogan warned us about, and this man has to be it."

"The only problem is that we have no idea who the man is or where he is now." Gray commented.

"Did the orphanage lady give you a description?"

"That's the thing." Erza said in an odd voice. She had a thin smirk on her face. "He was wearing a hood and sunglasses so she couldn't see his face. But what she did see was that he had a rather interesting tattoo on the inside of his wrist."

"What was it?"

"It was an image of a blade slashing through the letter 'C'." Erza said, still smiling.

"What's so funny about that?" Natsu asked. Gray rolled his eyes but answered his question with an excited murmur.

"That is the emblem of Crimson Edge, a dark wizard guild in Fiore."

"Wait but that means-"

"Yes. It means we aren't the only wizards in America."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Doesn't everybody love a good cliff hanger? Sorry about that but it had to be done. I just wanted to say thank you to all of my readers- especially those of you who have reviewed so far. I simply love hearing what you guys have to say, it really does make my day! I hope you are enjoying the story and the next chapter will be up soon.**


	7. Chapter 6: High School Hero

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi. So shortly after I posted the previous chapter, I noticed that I had made a HUGE mistake while writing it. When Natsu went to Lucy's house for dinner, her parents introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia. That is WRONG. Their names are definitely Max Freeman and Gloria Freeman. I've gone back and fixed that blunder, so hopefully most of you have no idea what I'm talking about if you read chapter 5 after I edited all my mistakes. I am so sorry for any confusion this caused. Before I published this story, I tweaked a few details from the original draft and I just straight up forgot to amend some side affects of those changes. I promise it won't happen again! Welp, that covers that so here's the next chapter! It's a good one in my opinion.**

 **P.S. This is part one of a two part chapter that I split in half since the original chapter was ridiculously long.**

Chapter 6

High School Hero

 _What is the difference between halophile, thermoacidophile and methanogen archaebacteria?_

She inwardly groaned. She only understood a handful of words in that entire sentence. Vaguely she remembered reading something about that in her textbook a while back, but today her mind was anything but focused on bacteria. She kept thinking about the disastrous dinner last night, after which, her parents forbade her to ever see Natsu again. She knew that there was no chance that they'd actually like him, but loathing him was something else entirely. She wondered what Natsu had said to her father when they had their private chat… She had asked her pink haired friend but, to no one's surprise, he didn't tell her.

There was no way that she was actually going to listen to her parents, of course. Having Natsu in her life was one of the best things that has ever happened to her. The charming boy was funny, daring, free-spirited and he wasn't too bad on the eyes either. So Lucy had nodded politely and pretended to listen to her parents and then continued to talk to Natsu at school anyway.

Lucy looked up and glanced to her right to take a peek at the boy in question. He was sitting at the same lab table right next to her, and unlike the blonde, he looked completely relaxed. He was slouched back in his chair in some sort of oblivious grace while doodling on his test paper, paying no attention to any questions about thermoacidophile archaebacteria.

 _I wonder what grade he's actually making in this class._ Lucy thought dreamily still staring at the small doodle on the corner of his test paper that resembled some sort of fire breathing dragon… _No, I have to focus on the test. I can't afford to fail this class!_

And so, Lucy chose answer choice 'C' and moved onto the next question.

XXX

With a sinking sort of guilt as she walked to her 6th period class, Lucy couldn't take her mind off of that awful Biology test. Normally she was decent in that class, but that was because she usually would study relentlessly for her science courses since she wasn't too talented in that particular field. However, this time she only glanced back at her notes for half an hour before taking the exam. She had been so distracted lately, not just with Natsu, but with other things too. She had started writing more, for example. Ever since the day she had an in-class emotional breakdown, she had realized that she truly didn't want to spend the rest of her life in the business world. She was beginning to toy with the idea of becoming a writer. That would make for a satisfying future wouldn't it? During long nights when she should have been studying, she would sit at her desk and type on her computer, creating storylines in her head and crafting the perfect dialog between make-believe characters that she adored. It was definitely fun, but there was no doubt her grades were beginning to suffer because of it.

And then there was also her issues with Abby, her brunette friend that she freaked out on. The next day in class after the incident she had resigned to apologize to her and fix their friendship, but that hadn't quite panned out. Instead of sitting in her usual seat next to Lucy, Abby had chosen a desk as far away from her as possible, refusing to make eye contact.

Long story short, they hadn't spoken since.

To make matters worse, stories about Lucy Heartfilia's dramatic outburst had spread like wildfire throughout the school. There wasn't a single student at Martin who didn't know that she had started crying about feeling "trapped" in Mr. Arnold's first period History class. It was embarrassing, that was a given. Whenever she walked through the hallways she got funny stares from people that used to be nice to her and a cascade of whispers as soon as she passed by. She knew that she was the primary source of the week's gossip, but that wasn't the part of it that bothered her most.

She wasn't sure if Abby had stopped talking to her because Lucy had hurt her feelings, or if something else was at play. Not only had Abby begun to ignore her, but Sara, Abby's best friend and Lucy's former-halfway-sort-of friend, had been the main force in spreading rumors about the blonde girl. Lucy had heard from a reliable source that Sara would tell anyone that'd listen how Lucy was a dramatic and spoiled princess who wasn't grateful for her family. Lucy simply didn't know why. Sara had always been nice to her in the past and it just didn't make sense that they both would turn on her so quickly.

Maybe she should just try apologizing one more time. Maybe she had struck a nerve and-

That was when Lucy spotted Abby in the hallway. She was walking towards Lucy on the other side of the hall and hadn't spotted her former friend yet.

 _This is my chance._ Lucy thought with determination as she put on the brightest, most apologetic smile she could muster.

"Hey Abby!" She said cheerfully, hurrying over to catch the brunette's attention. "I've really missed you and I was wondering if we could talk for a second because I-"

Abby locked eyes with Lucy for half a heartbeat and then quickly looked away as she hurried past Lucy, pretending not to notice her.

Frozen in her tracks, Lucy watched her "friend" turn the corner and disappear, shocked that Abby would ignore her so blatantly. To make matters worse, a whole new wave of whispers and snickers echoed through the hallway as on-looking students saw exactly what had transpired between two of the most talked about girls in school.

Lucy let out a sigh of frustration as she focused on just getting to her next class, trying to take what was left of her dignity along with her.

XXX

"Come on, Luce, you gotta stop worrying about that stupid test!" Natsu said as he walked with his hands behind his head, his fingers ruffling his thick locks of pink. He and his blonde friend had just finished their last class of the day and were floating along with the mass of students itching to get out of the school. Lucy, however, was still very stressed out several things. She had decided to keep her encounter with Abby to herself and chose instead to vent all her frustration into a rant about the Biology test they had taken a couple hours earlier.

"I can't!" She moaned dramatically. "I know I failed it! I have no idea what archaebacteria even is."

"Oh come on knowing that wasn't important. There were only a few questions over it."

"Natsu. The entire test was over bacteria."

"Was it?" He said, genuinely surprised.

"Seriously, how are you even in the 12th grade?"

"By not stressing about everything. You gotta just go with the flow sometimes."

"And then my parents would murder me for not passing Biology." She replied bluntly. Although her statement might have seemed a tad hyperbolic, it probably wasn't too far from the truth.

"Eh, I wouldn't take it too personally if I were you. I think overreacting is in their nature."

"You mean like how they never want me to see or speak to you again?" Lucy said sardonically, letting out a deep sigh. She was reminded about how even this brief conversation was forbidden, a feeling that she didn't want to admit how entrancing it actually was.

"Well that and- what's going on over there?" As they exited the building and walked out into the sun, Natsu got sidetracked in the middle of his sentence. His razor sharp eyes flitted over to where a large group of students were huddled together around something that must have been extremely interesting. They were all off to the side of the building, where none of the teachers would be able to see what was going on.

"Let's go check it out." Lucy replied instantly. Curious, they rushed over to see what all the commotion was about. Fearless, Natsu pushed himself to the very front of the crowed to see what was happening in the middle. Lucy stayed close to him as they saw what was fascinating everyone so much.

The crowd of students was formed in a circle around a few other kids. Lucy recognized one of them immediately as Gordon Ronald, the massive wrestler and notorious school bully. He had three of his friends with him and although they weren't quite as large, they were still plenty intimidating. They sagged their baggy khaki pants and loosened the ties around their necks, making the boring school uniform look like something out of a gangster movie.

It wasn't for a couple moments until Lucy noticed the fifth person in the clearing. It was a fragile looking young boy, probably a freshman judging from his toothpick thin legs and acne ridden face. He was cowering in front of the larger kids, clutching his school books in terror.

"P-please give m-me my glasses back." The little boy stuttered, clearly frightened out of his mind. Lucy noticed that Gordon had a pair of eyeglasses in his thick clumsy hand, making the frames look as breakable as the scabby kneed nerd they belonged to.

"Sorry didn't catch that." Gordon daunted, earning a round of laughter from the surrounding mob of students. "You're gunna have to speak a bit louder."

"P-please give them b-back." He said a little bit louder, although his voice still shook with fear. The mob continued to roar in laughter, shouting jeers and insults at the small boy. The only two who weren't laughing with the bullies were Natsu and Lucy. Speaking of the pink haired boy, Lucy began to say something to him but stopped when she saw the look on his face.

Saying he was furious would be an understatement. He was absolutely livid, his eyes narrowed into intense slits and his razor sharp teeth gritted in a tight clamp. Lucy could have sworn she saw a vein pop out of his forehead while his hands were clenched together in deadly looking fists.

"Try again!" Gordon roared, laughing along with crowed, his thick ugly cackle resonating with the roar of the mob. He slapped his hand out and knocked the stack of books the boy was carrying to the ground. The textbooks landed on the boys feet with what looked like a painful thud. Without something to hold onto, everyone could see just how much the boy was trembling.

"Natsu we should go tell a teacher-" Lucy tried to say but her voice was drowned out by the crowed. They couldn't just stand here and watch, but it wasn't like they could go up against Gordon and his gang either. Not only were they rich and popular, but they were all super strong too. Natsu may have muscles, but Lucy knew he would snap like a toothpick if he ever went up against-

"Hey chubby cheeks!" Natsu yelled out as he took a step forward, his voice splitting the hum of the crowed. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

In an instant the crowed fell silent. Everyone was staring at the kid stupid enough to stand up to Gordon and his pals, including Lucy, whose mouth was hanging open in shock.

"You talking to me, pretty boy?" Gordon said, shaking off his surprise quickly. The crowed let out an appreciative chuckle, but stayed quiet to hear the exchange.

"Geez, you must be a stupid as you look. Who else would I be talking to, frowny face?" Natsu growled. His usually cheerful face was twisted into a scowl. He stood with confidence, crossing his arms in a posture that could only be described as casual.

 _What is he thinking?_ Lucy thought desperately. _Is he really this stupid?_ Her heart was pounding as she braced herself to jump in and save him if she needed to.

"I remember you." Gordon said, unfazed by the insults. "You're that kid who bumped into me the other day."

"Give the guy his glasses back." Natsu demanded, his voice unwavering. "I'm only going to say it once."

"If you ask nicely I might consider it." Gordon smirked.

"I wasn't asking." The pink haired replied steadily.

 _How is he acting so calm?_ Lucy wondered as her heart pounded with anxiety, her legs frozen beneath the potency of the moment. Any normal person would be scared out of their mind just standing in front of Gordon let alone challenging him. But there was something about the way Natsu held himself… Lucy didn't know quite what it was but it reminded her of the action movie heroes who never broke a sweat no matter what fix they were in.

"Boys, I think we might need to teach pinky over here a lesson." Gordon called out to his gang behind him. The four large piles of muscle took a step towards Natsu and began to crack their knuckles, grinning wildly like rabid dogs finally released from their leashes.

Natsu didn't react to that. He just continued to stare down the bully, unflinching and unmoving.

"Here, I'm done with you, squirt." Gordon said as he threw away the glasses he was holding. They landed with a clang at the feet of the young freshman boy. The kid quickly shoved them back on his face, gathered up his books, and scampered away right through the crowd. They laughed some more as they turned and watched him run away, but the large wrestler had fresh prey in his sight. "I got someone new to play with."

"Look, _pal_." Natsu spoke up again in a fierce growl. The way he said 'pal' made Lucy know he meant the exact opposite of the word. "I don't like you and I don't like your buddies there. I turned away the other day cause I'm not supposed to start trouble but I'm not going to just stand back while you hurt people that can't fight back. There's nothing more sick or cowardly than that."

"Like I care what a little pest like you thinks." He replied. "You need to know just who the king around here is: me. And it's my job to make sure losers like you learn their place."

"Unlike the rest of this damn school, I ain't afraid of you."

"You should be." Gordon said almost eagerly. He took another step towards Natsu, pulled his giant fist back and then unleashed it on the pink haired boy in full force.

Lucy's heart froze as she saw what was happening. She wanted to close her eyes, but she kept them wide open and didn't fail to notice how Natsu didn't try to block or avoid the punch at all. He just stood perfectly still as Gordon's fist made contact with his cheek, snapping his neck back with startling force.

The crowd gasped in pleasure as they finally got to see the action they've been waiting for. Gordon smiled in satisfaction as his gang congratulated him with pats on the back. Lucy looked on with worry. Was Natsu okay? How badly-

"Satisfied?" Natsu asked with unmistakable annoyance. He was still on his feet and his eyes were still focused on Gordon. Honestly, it didn't even look like he'd been punched at all. But Gordon, not being the sharpest tool in the shed, failed to notice this.

"Yeah. That'll teach you to mess with me." He grunted in satisfaction, flexing his arm muscles.

Natsu turned to walk away. For a brief moment he made eye contact with Lucy. He winked at her to let her know everything was okay, but then Natsu felt a pressure around his neck. Gordon had reached out and seized Natsu's precious white scarf, pulling it right off of his neck. Now scarfless, the pink haired boy turned back around to see Gordon holding his most beloved possession in his grimy hands.

"Sorry, pinky, just one more thing. I'll be keeping this idiotic scarf of yours. Don't want you thinking you got off easy."

"I'm only going to say this once." Natsu said in a deathly low voice, boiling with red hot anger. "Give me my scarf back now or you'll regret it."

"Fine." Gordon said, his eyes lighting up with another idea. "If you want it so badly you can have it."

Then the large wrestler spat on the white scarf with a gross hacking sound, his saliva contaminating a good portion of the soft white fabric. With a disgusting grin, he threw it back at Natsu, who caught it with one hand.

And Lucy thought Natsu has been angry before.

It was like a switch had been snapped inside the boy. In one fluid movement he leaped forward and kicked Gordon right in his massive gut. The unsuspecting bully was flung back by the impact, rocketing through the air at least twenty feet until he landed with a heavy thud on the ground. The crowd parted to give them room, gasping in shock at the new development. Then all three of Gordon's lackeys came at Natsu at once, growling and spitting. As if each of the 200 pound boys were a fly, he swatted each of the away with an almost effortless flick of his fists, knocking them out cold.

All while he was holding his scarf in one hand.

Natsu deliberately walked over to where Gordon was still moaning on the ground in pain. The bully was still conscious but couldn't get up as he was approached by a very angry teen. Natsu knelt down beside him on one knee.

"No one messes with my scarf." He said, his voice low and laced with pure venom.

Then he raised his free hand right in front of Gordon's forehead and flicked it. With the impact of a single finger, the wrestling state champion was out cold.

Natsu got up and walked away, still clutching his scarf in one hand. Lucy's mouth was hanging open in shock, just like every other witness there. Natsu had taken down four of the strongest kids in school without any strain at all.

And that look on Natsu's face… even Lucy was a bit frightened looking at it. She remembered on the first day of school when she looked into his eyes for the first time. Yes, she had seen a wildness and recklessness, but there had been something else that she couldn't identify until today.

It was danger.

"Come on, Luce. Let's go." He said as he walked past her.

Her parents would have a heart attack if they knew that Lucy walked away with him anyway, not a trace of doubt in her mind.


	8. Chapter 7: Fairy Tale Hero

Chapter 7

Fairy Tale Hero

Still reeling from the events that occurred approximately 20 minutes earlier, Lucy stood in the kitchen of Natsu's apartment as he was decontaminating his scarf furiously in the sink. After he took care of the four bullies, the pair went back to his apartment. They were alone. Apparently Erza and Gray had taken the cat, Happy out to the park.

The pink haired boy was intensely focused on scrubbing the essence of Gordon Ronald out of his scarf, but Lucy couldn't care less about that now. She had a pile of questions to ask the boy and today was finally the day she would be getting answers.

"I'm sure you've gotten all the spit off by now." Lucy said, a tad frustrated. She wanted his full attention.

"No I still smell that slime ball in the fabric…" Natsu replied absently.

"You should just put it in the washing machine-"

"I don't trust that mechanical death trap."

Lucy shook her head. The things that came out of that boy's mouth… Still it was pretty cute how worked up he was getting over a stain on a piece of his clothing. It must really be important to him, judging from the determined shape of his mouth and relentless look in his eyes-

 _No, I have to focus. This guy just knocked out four dudes three times his size without even breaking a sweat. There's no way any ordinary teenage boy could do that. He's hiding something. I think I've known now for a while, but now I can't ignore the feeling anymore. The sense of danger he gave off isn't something that just springs up on a single occasion. Whatever Natsu did today wasn't for the first time._

"Natsu, we need to talk." Lucy said seriously.

"Agh my scarf is never going to be the same ever again!" Natsu moaned dramatically.

"Natsu, focus!" She yelled in a demanding, scary tone. That got his attention.

"Sorry." He mumbled. He set the scarf down and looked at the girl shyly. "What'd yah wanna talk about?"

"I think that's pretty obvious."

The boy, however, looked blank.

"How did you do that? You beat up all those guys without even trying."

"Well I just punched them and-"

"Seriously." Lucy said cutting him off. "I don't want any excuses or lies. I want to know the truth. How are you so strong?" When Natsu didn't reply immediately, she pressed forward. "Is it steroids or something like that? Or are you from the military or some crazy wilderness school?"

"No, none of that." Natsu said, waving off her guesses. Normally he would have smiled at her wild assumptions, but he didn't after hearing the sharp tone of her voice that told him she wasn't going to leave without answers.

"Then what is it?"

"I can't tell you." He sighed finally, dipping his head to avoid her eyes. "At least not everything."

"Why not?"

"I just can't. It's not my secret to tell." His voice was soft.

Lucy paused for a moment to take this in. Judging from the genuine look on his face and gentleness of his words, she knew he was being honest. Pausing for a moment to think about the implication of his words, Lucy let out a sigh of disappointment. Whatever he was hiding, it was big and it was important. It must be something bigger than just him and that's why he couldn't tell her. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to know, maybe it just wasn't her place to find out.

"I understand." She said finally, not bothering to hide the reluctance in her voice. "But you did say 'at least not everything'. Can you at least tell me how the heck you know how to fight like that?"

Natsu brightened immediately, relieved that Lucy understood why he couldn't tell her.

"I've always loved fighting! Igneel, my dad, is the one who taught me everything I know. Ever since then I've been working to get stronger."

"You seem pretty strong to me." Lucy said, trying not to convey her surprise when she heard that his father encouraged fighting like that.

"Nah, I need to get even stronger. I'm gunna teach Gray he isn't any match for me and I'm going beat Erza too."

"They fight too?" Lucy gasped with wide eyes, picturing Gray's cool exterior and Erza's elegant demeanor. What were they? Some sort of fighting gang? "And Erza is better than _you_?"

"Not for much longer." Natsu said, gritting his teeth in anticipation.

Lucy shook her head. This was all so much to take in. Deciding to ignore the whole fighting thing, she focused on something else that was weighing on her mind.

"You weren't going to fight them at first though. You were just going to walk away until Gordon took your scarf and when he spat on it… you became almost like a different person. What is it about that scarf that makes it so important to you?"

"Igneel gave it to me." He replied quickly but quietly. "It's all I have left to remember him by."

"And you never take it off?"

"Pretty much." Natsu shrugged. "I always keep it with me."

"Do you ever wonder where he is?" Lucy said suddenly.

"What?"

"Igneel." She clarified. "Do you ever think about where he went when he left you?"

Natsu paused for a moment and looked at her kind of funny, like she said something that couldn't quite click in his brain.

"Well, yeah. Of course I do." He said simply. "But I'm going to find him one day."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am." Natsu sighed after a long pause. Lucy fell silent after that, too, slightly embarrassed by all the questions she was asking.

"Any other questions?" Natsu prompted with a crooked smile.

"Just one more." Lucy said slyly, matching his mischievous grin. "Is that _really_ your natural hair color?"

XXX

Lucy let out a sigh of frustration and threw the book aside, the thick novel landing in a heap of disheveled pages on the corner of her bed. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair and rolled over, burying her face in her plush pillow. Why did she even bother trying to focus on school work anymore? Even though she usually loved to read, her brain was in too many other places to concentrate on something as bland as the book they were reading in English. Well, make that just one other place.

She just couldn't get that pink haired boy out of her head. Every time she learned something new about him it just raised a million more questions. This was only exaggerated by previous events. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around how the hell Natsu, Natsu of all people, could beat up four giant bullies who were twice his size with apparent ease. It just didn't make sense. And judging from him avoiding enlightening her on how he managed it, the secret must be good. As of now she had her bets on the possibility that Natsu really came from some military boarding school where he was trained to fight. That wasn't too far of a stretch, was it?

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about the situation was that Lucy had officially given up on trying to find out. If he wanted to tell her then he would, but until then she wasn't going to stress about who he really was. Maybe that was a poor decision on her part, but honestly, she really didn't care. Hanging out with the Natsu had been the highlight of her year and she wasn't about to run away. There was something about the wild eccentric guy that made her heart race whenever she was around him. It was fun and unpredictable and something about being with him held a sense of danger that she hadn't experienced before in her sheltered life.

 _Alright, I really need to finish this book. We're supposed to have finished it when we get to class tomorrow…_

She took the book back in her hands and flipped it open to the page she left off at, noting sadly that she still had far too much left to read. Despite her complaints, in comparison to the other bundles of boredom they have read in English, this book really wasn't all that bad. It was a classic fairy tale hero story. The protagonist, a handsome young man named James, grew up in a small village, always dreaming of accomplishing more in his life. Eventually, he leaves home and becomes a knight for his kingdom. Once there he, of course, falls in love with the princess, and then has to face some terrible evil that threatens her life. She hadn't quite gotten to that part yet.

 _Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find out-_

"Miss Lucy!" A voice called from outside her door, accompanied by a rapid knocking.

"Yes?" She called out, irritated by the interruption. The door opened and in walked Pierre, her family's butler.

"Your parents wish to speak with you. They are requesting your presence in the downstairs living room." Pierre said, delivering the unwelcome message with an encouraging smile.

Lucy resisted rolling her eyes. Only her parents would send someone else to 'request her presence'. Nevertheless, she got up, figuring the sooner she got this chat over with the sooner she could finish the book and go to bed.

Her parents were waiting for her with very stern expressions on their condescending faces. Her mother's lips were pursed and sat stiffly with her legs cross while her father held his bulky arms close to his sides, his eyes never wavering from his daughter as she sat down in the arm chair across from them.

"You wished to speak with me?" Lucy asked politely.

"We received your report card from school." Her father said grimly. Lucy gulped.

"You have a 'B' in History." Her mother added, speaking as though she was delivering the news of a great tragedy.

"I'm sorry!" Lucy blurted out. "I swear it won't happen again. I just have been really busy with all my other classes and the teacher I have for History is dreadful and-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" Her father's voice thundered. The teenage girl fell silent.

"Although we are disappointed in you, we have no doubt that you will prevent this from happening again."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"However, it is about time we had a serious talk about your future." Her father said, his tone shifting. "As you are going to inherit my company, you will need to be attending a prestigious business school. You must be prepared. But if you continue to let your grades drop, then not even I can get you in."

"I understand." She said quietly. There her dad went again, talking about her inheriting his company. She may not have a clear cut idea of what she wanted to do with her life, but it definitely was not _that_.

 _Maybe I should just tell him._ She considered for a moment. Perhaps if she just explained to her father that she didn't love business like he did and that she was passionate about writing instead... _No that would only make things worse. But I will have to tell him eventually…_

"We will be watching your grades closely in the future. Also I will be expecting you to fill out your college applications before much longer. I will e-mail you a list of the schools that I approve of you attending." Her father said finally. As he stood up, Lucy realized the conversation was over.

 _Well, I guess it could have been a lot worse._

XXX

"So did you finish reading the book?" Lucy asked Natsu as they sat in their desks before their English teacher, Mr. Garret, could begin his lecture. The boy's blank look told her all she needed to know.

After a good night's sleep, Lucy had put her conversation with her parents to the back of her mind. It wasn't like she needed to make any immediate decisions. She still had plenty of time before she would need to apply for college… right? So what if all her classmates (besides Natsu) constantly talked about was what schools they were applying to and which were the most prestigious? Anyway, the blonde girl was just focusing on one day at a time, living in the moment and all that. And at the current moment, her friend was in serious trouble.

"What book?" He answered, tilting his head. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"The book we were assigned to read for homework. We were supposed to have finished it by today."

"Oh well, too late now." Natsu shrugged with an easy going smile. "I'll try again next time!"

"I still have no idea how you get through school."

"It's actually pretty easy!" He said, leaning back in his chair. "I mean I haven't done anything all year and I'm making a 64 in this class!"

"Natsu that's terrible!"

"No it's not! It means I know more than half of the crap we learn in this class. I think that's pretty damn good."

"But you're still failing."

"From one perspective." Natsu muttered. Lucy was about to say something else, but then the teacher began to talk.

"Assuming that all of you have read the novel," Mr. Garret monotoned as Natsu and Lucy shared a knowing glance, "we will proceed to have a class discussion about the overall thematic meaning of the work."

The class began to sink into a stupor as the teacher talked about heroes in classic literature. He talked of their bravery and stereotypical tragic backgrounds. He talked of their craving for morality and justice and their willingness to do anything to achieve them. Very few students actually paid close attention. Mostly it was just the usual kids who made straight 'A's' in all their subjects that bothered to listen to Mr. Garret's monologue, but there was one pair of intense focused eyes that stood out from the rest.

Natsu was concentrating on the teacher's words more than anyone else. It came as a shock to Lucy because she had never seen him pay attention in class. It was quite odd actually. The strange boy never broke eye contact with the speaker and on occasion he would open his mouth as if he wanted to say something. Was what Mr. Garret was saying that interesting?

"And so the protagonist, James, displays all the qualities necessary for a true hero. In sacrificing his duties to the king and his kingdom, he chooses to save the princess instead, exemplifying courage and love. He makes the ultimate decision not by adhering to what society expects him to do, perhaps what is the morally correct thing to do, but by following his heart and preserving love in a time of darkness. It's at this point that James becomes a figure respected and admired by-"

"That's a load of bull crap." Natsu blurted out suddenly. The teacher stopped speaking to look at the pink haired boy carefully. He didn't seem angry, but rather curious. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Care to elaborate?" Mr. Garret asked with a faint smile on his face. "This is a class discussion after all."

"Well first of all I didn't read the book." Natsu declared, unfazed by all the eyes resting on him. "But from what I hear you saying, I don't think this James guy is a hero at all."

"You don't?"

"No he's totally lame. He just gave up." The teen said, crossing his arms in disgust. "He didn't even try to save _both_ the princess and the kingdom. It wasn't some empowering choice it was a cheap cop out. He pretty much just damned his home and all of his friends that lived in it because he was too lazy to save both things."

"If you read the book, Mr. Dragneel, you would know that it was physically impossible to save both. His choice was necessary."

"Did he try?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did this hero try to save both?"

"He knew that it was impossible-"

"My point exactly! A real hero would do everything in his power to protect his girl _and_ his kingdom." Natsu said finally, the corners of his lips turned down into a frown that still managed to show his gritted teeth.

"That is just not realistic, young man. The reason this work is so highly respected is because it is grounded in realism. It is fundamentally a fairy tale, but delivers an ironic ending that tells us fairy tales can't exist in real life."

"You think that piece of trash is realistic? Real heroes do exist in real life but they aren't like that James guy."

"And what do you know about real heroes? From what knowledge are you making these accusations?" Mr. Garett raised an eyebrow, curious as to where his student was taking this argument.

"Life experience." Natsu shot back steadily, without thinking.

"Don't tell me you're claiming to be some sort of hero." The teacher said. Natsu looked as though he knew exactly what to say, but he seemed to remember something and quickly backtracked in his argument.

"All I know is that if someone I cared about was in danger, yes I'd do whatever I could to save them. But I'd also find a way to do it without forsaking the rest of the world."

Lucy found herself entranced by Natsu's words. He held such confidence and certainty in his words that she couldn't help but believe every single one. If they came from anyone else's mouth they might have seemed empty and unlikely to be backed up, but with Natsu, she couldn't help but know that he truly meant what he said. This was definitely the most interesting English class they had in a while.

"A bold claim, but I think you are missing an essential point here. Life isn't always going to go how you plan it. There are going to be tough choices in life and you can't just run around them. Sometimes you have to choose what's more important to you."

"I don't believe that." Natsu said firmly. "Sure life might get a little screwy, but that doesn't mean you just have to lie down and take it."

"A hero can't just skirt around every important decision in life." Mr. Garret shot back, becoming irritated for the first time.

"A real hero does make a choice: the choice to never give up!" Natsu's voice was now close to a yell, a resounding tone that made everyone in the room fall to utter silence. The teacher let out a deep sigh.

"And what if the hero doesn't give up and then fails? Then he or she would be left with nothing." His voice was gentler now, more curious than angry, holding an ominous tone that Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I would never let that happen." Natsu answered back fiercely without skipping a beat.

"Again you are failing to mention what authority you have on the matter." He said with a frown.

Natsu opened his mouth to say something and then let it fall shut. In a huff of frustration, the teen was, for the first time that day, lost for words.

"I see." Mr. Garret said. "Well, Natsu you put up a promising argument, but it lacked the foundation that any convincing point needs: evidence."

Still frowning as he bit his tongue, the fierce eyed boy didn't debate anymore as the teacher went back into his very one sided lecture about the book. Natsu didn't turn to look at the blonde girl sitting next to him, but she wasn't able to look anywhere else.

 _Why is he so passionate about this sort of thing? And what does he mean by 'life experience'_? Lucy thought. It wasn't like Natsu to just throw those words around, so he must actually mean them. She was itching to know the answer and decided to question Natsu about it after class.

 _Although knowing him, I won't be getting any straight responses._

And so, Lucy spent the rest of class staring at his disheveled rosy hair, wondering how his muscles looked beneath his white button down shirt and thinking about how much she would love to write a fairy tale about a "real hero" who makes the choice to never give up.


	9. Chapter 8: Under the City Lights

Chapter 8

Under the City Lights

"You're really bad at this, aren't yah Natsu?" A little blue cat asked his much larger friend in a teasing tone.

"No I'm not!" The pink haired wizard instantly protested in a defensive high pitched voice. Happy giggled.

"How many times have you almost blown our cover?"

"Not that many…"

"You get in fights, argue with teachers, and basically threaten Lucy's parents. You aren't doing too good of a job on this mission."

"I'm doing just fine!" Natsu retorted back even though he had to admit that Happy had a point. Between his run in with that Ronaldo jerk and his big mouth, Lucy had been asking a lot of questions lately. She was a smart girl so he knew better than to think she wouldn't be suspicious. Still, he had reframed from lighting on fire while in her presence so in the long run he considered that a success.

"Whatever." Happy sighed. Natsu smiled at his little buddy. He was used to spending every second of the day with him and now that he had to go to school they hardly had any time to just hang out. Today, on a peaceful and sunny Saturday, the pair had gone out fishing to a small pond they found hidden in a less-known park on the outskirts of town.

The dragon slayer let out a content sigh and tilted his head back to look up at the clear blue sky. It was weird to think about how the sky back home in Earthland was the same exact shade and yet wasn't even in the same atmosphere. It was times like this he thought that maybe this world wasn't all too different from his. After all, the grass still smelt like grass and its thin bristles still tickled his skin in an annoying yet comforting way.

As he and Happy fell into a calm silence over the still fishing rods, Natsu allowed his thoughts to continue wandering. Often times when he thought of nothing in particular he ended up thinking about Lucy. She seemed to be just an ordinary American girl but his instincts told him that she was so much more. She may be a bit weird but she's also passionate and warm. Natsu always felt happy and content when he was around her. He liked looking into her big brown eyes and making her laugh. He wished he could tell her about who he really was. He wanted to tell her all about Igneel, his life as a wizard, and about his guild. He wanted this so badly he occasionally slipped out of his cover. Alright, maybe that happened more than just occasionally.

The point was that Lucy was his friend and he hated lying to her. When he was forced to lie, he would try to weave in as much of the truth as possible but still it felt like he was deceiving her. If only he could-

"Natsu I got one!" Happy yelled out suddenly. Natsu jerked out of his daydream and into reality again.

"Well watcha waitin' for? Reel it in!" He said eagerly to his partner. The little blue cat began to crank the rod furiously, his face contorted in a look of effort and determination.

"It's not going down easily!" Happy called out. "This fish may be more stubborn than you, Natsu!"

"Whoa it must be huge." Natsu said in awe, not paying any attention to Happy's comment. Instead his eyes were focused on the cat's gritted teeth and concentrated expression.

"Just- a little- bit- longer!" Happy gasped, breathing hard from straining the tiny muscles in his paws.

"Need some help, little buddy?" He asked with a laugh.

"No, I can do this on my own!" The cat declared, still reeling in the fish with agonizingly slow progress. This continued for a few tense moments until- "Yes! I got it!"

Natsu tried to stifle a laugh for a little bit. Happy had gotten the fish, but the tiny trout dangling at the end of the line on the hook was barely longer than half a foot. The cat's expression fell from jubilance to disbelief as he stared at his pathetic catch. Natsu couldn't keep it in. He burst out laughing, rolling on the ground in his humorous fit.

"That's the sorriest fish I've ever seen! But I guess it's still stronger than you Happy!"

"Is not I still caught it Natsu."

"Barely!"

"Why do you gotta be so mean?" Happy yelled back. Natsu's wide grin faded when he saw the look of genuine hurt on his little friend's face.

"Happy, I-"

"Just shut up Natsu!" Happy roared. He threw his fish back in the pond and stormed away, leaving the pink haired wizard on the shore by himself feeling very guilty.

He hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. It wasn't his fault that Happy trying to catch a tiny fish was so damn funny. Why was he so mad anyway? It was a bit irrational and not like his friend at all to get worked up over something so minor… unless it was about more than just the fish.

Natsu pondered this for a few moments until his head started to hurt.

 _Well this is the first time Happy and I have hung out in a while. I'm always leaving him behind to go see Lucy or go to school and I know he's sick of having to act like an ordinary cat all the time…_

"Ugh why does everyone have to be so complicated?" Natsu groaned out loud. He hated having to over analyze everything people say to him. Between the American people, Lucy, and now Happy he was going to go crazy trying to figure them all out.

 _Oh well, just cause they're crazy doesn't mean I have to be too._

He got up, ready to go apologize to Happy until a better idea popped into his head. With a sly grin he settled back down, fishing rod in hand.

Happy was slowly tracking through the woods just outside the park and not too far from the pond. He kicked pebbles out of his way as he trudged across the muddy terrain, trying not to think about Natsu.

"Stupid Natsu." He muttered. Why did his bigger partner always have to act so dense all the time? All he has been doing recently was hanging out with Lucy and Happy was feeling left out. All he wanted was to spend some quality time fishing with his best friend and then Natsu had to go and ruin it! The way he made fun of him… it was like Natsu didn't even respect him, like he didn't care about how he felt.

Happy's stomach started to rumble. Now he had no Natsu and no lunch. Today was turning out to be-

"Hey Happy!" A familiar voice called out. Happy looked up to see the dragon slayer with a net full of fish slung over his back. "Sorry it took me so long, but you're right, these fish may be small but they're definitely more stubborn than me!"

Happy's eyes began to water up. He looked at the big goofy smile on his friend's face and felt a warm wave of affection for him.

"I don't know about that." Happy said weakly, wiping his eyes.

"Sorry about earlier." Natsu said mischievously. "I hope this makes up for it?"

Natsu walked over and sat down next to Happy, setting the mound of fish in between them. Looking at him as if he were a god, the small blue guy smiled wide through his salivating mouth.

"Of course it does!"

And the smiling pair shared the fish, enjoying both the food and the company.

XXX

Although the harsh white artificial light stole from its brilliance, the small yet potent flame didn't flicker beneath the unrelenting set of eyes focused on it. The dragon slayer's stomach began to rumble to new extremes, his mouth watering as he looked at the fire he could only describe as savory. The endearing red color haunted him, tormenting him because he knew that he could not afford to give into his instincts. But it was so close… Subconsciously, he felt his timid fingers reach out towards the flame. If he could only just touch it, brush his skin against its fiery warmth. Maybe just the sensation would curb his hunger. His fingertips sang with joy as they finally begun to feel the heat of the flame. They scraped the surface of the orange fire, basking in its intense-

"Natsu, what the heck are you doing?" Lucy's voice jolted him out of his trance like a bucket of ice cold water. Natsu quickly retracted his fingers and used them to ruffle his already messy locks of pink.

"Um nothing it's just um… my hands were cold and I thought the flame would warm them up!" He said almost hopefully, internally crossing his fingers for the off chance she'd buy his excuse.

"It's a Bunsen burner, Natsu, not a campfire." Lucy replied blankly, raising an eyebrow at her companion's antics. "Did you burn yourself? I thought I saw you touching the fire."

"Nope must have missed it, won't happen again Lucy!" He said with the smile that normally got him out of these types of situations. He looked away, cursing himself for almost screwing up his cover yet again. It was just that he was so bored. He and Lucy were in Biology, a torturous prison that tied with all his other classes for the most boring thing on the planet. Today, they were doing some sort of experiment (he didn't pay attention to the details) and Lucy was his lab partner. He had almost fallen asleep when Lucy started to use this weird metal tube thing. He thought it was just like all the other weird tools that existed in this world, but then a mini fire came out the top of it. It wasn't until then Natsu realized how hungry he was and that fire smelt so good…

"Why do you look like your about to eat a giant cheeseburger?" His blonde friend said with a chuckle. She obviously hadn't missed the lustful look on her weird friend's face. Natsu opened his mouth to answer and then realized he had no idea what to say. Thankfully, Lucy just shook it off with a laugh. "Anyway while the test tube is heating up, there was something I wanted to ask you."

Natsu's eyes flickered over to the flame tube thing again. Lucy used some metal rod thing to place another tube (this one was clear and had some blue liquid inside it) above the flame. Jeez, people in this world are weird. They are just wasting a perfectly tasty fire!

"Hey are you listening?!" Lucy said waving a hand in front of his face, seeming slightly annoyed.

"Oh, yeah, of course."

"Well it's just that my parents are out of town tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out."

"Sounds like fun!" Natsu answered. "But we hang out like every day, why do you look all nervous?"

At his words, Lucy's red cheeks deepened into an even rosier blush. She cast her eyes down at her feet and fiddled with her fingers. Thanks to his dragon slayer hearing, he could hear her heart beat start to pick up.

"I was thinking we could go into the city." She said hesitantly.

"Wha?" Natsu tilted his head, confused. "Aren't we in a city now?"

"No, idiot. I'm talking about, _New York City_. We live only a short drive away but I never really get to visit. I thought it might be fun if we go together, maybe it could be like a-"

"I'd love to go!" Natsu interrupted her, getting really excited. His face broke into a brilliant smile that got a relieved grin out of Lucy as well. "You didn't have to be so nervous about asking me, Luce!"

"Yeah." She replied weakly. "I don't know what I was thinking."

XXX

"I still don't get why I gotta wear this." Natsu complained, tugging at his burgundy short sleeve button down shirt and tan khaki pants that were rolled up at his ankles. It was bad enough having to dress like this for school, why did he have to do it elsewhere too?

"You need to look nice tonight!" Erza insisted. She wasn't standing too far away from the pink haired teen and had her arms crossed with her head held high. She was proud of the outfit she chose for Natsu. Gray and Happy on the other hand were laughing at his discomfort from their respective places in their living room.

" _Why_?" Natsu repeated, now running his fingers through his hair trying to mess it up again. Erza had tried to slick it back and make it lay flat, but that was a complete disaster that would be the root of Gray's taunts for at least the next five years.

"Lucy is going to be dressed up as well. I don't want you to look like a scruffy child next to her!"

"I don't look like a scruffy child!"

"You don't now that I've made you look presentable."

"That's it, I'm taking these pants off-"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Erza shouted, making Natsu freeze and cower beneath her stature. He would never intentionally disobey a direct order from Erza when she got angry but…

"I don't get why I gotta wear this." Natsu repeated for the millionth time.

"It's because you're going on a date, moron." Gray said, rolling his eyes.

"What'd you say, brain freeze?"

"That you're going on a date, lizard head." He said superiorly. "Looking nice is just a part of it."

"I'm just hanging out with Lucy." Natsu said, shaking his head. "That's not a date."

"Yeah right." Gray scoffed.

Just then, they all heard a knock on the door.

"That must be Lucy." Natsu said, looking happier all of a sudden. "And I betcha she's not going to be all dressed up- Lucy?"

At the last syllable, Natsu had reached the door and swung it open. What he saw made his jaw drop. Lucy looked absolutely amazing. She wore a hip hugging tight black sequined skirt that hit her around mid-thigh paired with a loose fitting purple silk blouse with thin straps that didn't do much to cover her up. Her long legs seemed to go on for miles into tall black heels that made her as tall as he was. Her silky blonde hair was pulled back out of her face, letting her big brown eyes glow in the spotlight. Natsu let his mouth hang open slightly as he was completely lost for words.

"Hey Natsu." She said shyly, not really making full eye contact. Was she seriously feeling self-conscious right now? "You look really nice."

 _Did she seriously just compliment me? Compared to her, I look like a piece of crap! At least Erza made me dress up a little._

"You're the one who looks amazing!" Natsu blurted out. "I mean really- you look beautiful."

Lucy blushed a deep red again.

 _She sure had been doing that a lot lately_. Natsu thought, oblivious.

"I have the limo waiting out front. We should get going."

"Sounds good. Erza, Gray, Happy, I'm leaving!" Natsu shouted back to his friends. Erza and Gray waved goodbye to him, their smug faces oozing with triumph. Happy just wagged his tail (more like a dog than a cat) and Natsu headed out, following the beautiful woman, still in awe of her appearance.

Lucy led him to the limo, but as Natsu saw the sleek black vehicle he froze in his tracks.

"Are we really riding in that thing?" He said, unsure. Already he was thinking of how his stomach would be thrown through spins and loops if he stepping into the shaky metal death trap. Curse his stupid motion sickness.

"Yeah, I know it seems a bit pretentious, but Pierre, our butler, insisted on giving me a ride. Don't worry, he's already promised not to tell my parents that we're hanging out."

Natsu was about to tell her that there was no way in hell he was getting in that thing, but then he saw her innocent look, hopeful for a great night. He sighed. There was no way he could say no to those big brown eyes.

"No problem." Natsu said, faking a smile, albeit not very well. He was pretty sure his voice had raised an octave, but he nevertheless stepped into the limo, hesitant and very skeptical of this non-magic magic-mobile.

Once they were settled inside, Lucy began chatting to him. Natsu couldn't quite pay attention though because the limo had started moving. Instantly, he felt his stomach go into a fit. It was good thing he hadn't eaten before he left or he would have thrown it up right then and there. Occasionally, he would nod his head or say 'yeah' to something Lucy said, but mostly he was focused on trying to keep his stomach from dislodging itself from his body.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Lucy said finally, choosing not to ignore her companion's pained facial expressions anymore. "You look like you're about to throw up."

Now too dizzy to even sit up straight, Natsu let his head fall down into his lap, the slouched over position making his tummy feel mildly better. Very mildly.

"Motion sickness." He moaned, clenching his stomach.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Lucy said, relieved that it wasn't something else. "And here you've been letting me talk about our History project for the last five minutes!"

"Didn't want… to worry you." Natsu choked out. "It's no… big deal."

"That's not what it looks like." Lucy said with a laugh. "You look like you're dying."

"If I am then you're going to feel real guilty for laughing at me." Natsu wheezed, shifting around to find a more comfortable position.

"I can stop the car if you want."

"No!" Natsu shouted, well it was more of a gagging noise, but it was loud compared to his other weak moans. "We have to… go to… New York."

"Well if you are feeling sick-"

"No way… I'm making it there for sure."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Lucy said in amazement.

"Cause you wanted to go to New York." He said in barely more than a whisper. Natsu's face was still buried in his lap but if could have seen Lucy's face he would have seen eyes full of warmth and affection.

He felt gentle hands on his hunched over body. They lifted his torso up and moved him around so that he was laying sideways across the seat of the limo, his head resting in Lucy's lap.

"That better?" She asked.

"Mmm." Natsu sighed contently in response. This was so much more comfortable. Lucy was warm and soft, the perfect pillow for his nauseated head. He almost forgot about his sickness entirely when he felt her small warm hands start to brush the hair away from his facing, sending a nice tingly feeling down his spine.

Even though he was in a moving vehicle, he felt content to stay there for the rest of the night.

Natsu closed his eyes and began to drift off into a dreamlike state. Being so close to Lucy, his nose was having a field day. How did she smell so good? It was sort of flowery but he could swear her scent had a trace of vanilla in it too. Anyway, he just let her presence encompass him.

"Hey, Natsu we're here."

His eyes shot open and the first thing he noticed was that his stomach felt completely normal again. He instantly sprung up and clamored out of the limo into the fresh, cool night air.

Not for the first time of the night, Natsu went into a state of shock. Squinting his eyes to adjust to the stunningly bright lights, he craned back his neck to stare up at the towering steel buildings surrounding him. At first he was confused as to why it was so bright during the night, but the he realized it was all the artificial beams of red, yellow, white and blue coming from the buildings, signs and billboards. Speaking of the buildings, Natsu had no idea structures could get this tall. He had to tilt his head completely back to barely get a glimpse at the top of them. All around him hoards and hordes of people were rushing around or walking slowly, each moving at their own pace, creating an even more chaotic atmosphere. His senses were on overdrive. A million different smells attacked him all at once, very different from the one pleasant one he had on the drive here. The stench of trash, pollution, and body odor blended in with sweeter smells of hot dogs, perfume, and a faint whiff of salt water. Noises attacked him from all angles as well. From the chatter of people, to the screeching and honking of cars, to the calls from people trying to sell stuff, sound was at an unfathomable volume from him. When he looked up at the sky, he couldn't see a single stars and any semblance of cool fresh air was quickly forgotten.

Although all these things should have made Natsu hate New York City, the teen broke into a smile of pure excitement.

"This place is amazing!" He shouted, his voice ringing clear over all the other commotion.

"I know, right?" Lucy happily agreed, climbing out of the limo as well. She nodded goodbye to Pierre in the driver's seat, promising to stay in contact with him until they were ready to be picked up. "I used to come here all the time when I was younger, but now I hardly do anymore."

"Why not, everything here looks like so much fun!"

"My parents would take me here as a treat or a weekend getaway, but now I guess they have better things to do on weekends and they would hardly let me come here by myself."

"That's too bad." Natsu said with a frown as they fell into pace next to each other, joining the crowd of people on the streets. "But now we have to come back here all the time together!"

"Even with the long car ride?" She prompted, thinking back to his pained expression in the limo.

"It's worth it and besides, it's not so bad when you're with me." He said genuinely. Lucy smiled and looked at him affectionately.

"So where do you want to go first?" She asked. Natsu hesitated for a moment, considering all the fun adventures the city had to offer, but then he decided that the rumbling in his stomach could not be postponed any longer.

"Food definitely." Natsu said, earning a giggle from his friend.

"I should have known you'd say that."

"Come on, I smell something good this way." Natsu said, grabbing Lucy's hand and hurrying off on a different street to his left. One particular scent had been calling out to him ever since he got out of that limo. Hot dogs. The beefy warm smell wasn't too far away and Natsu knew he had to have it.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, trying to keep up with the dragon slayer's quickened pace. "I don't smell anything!"

 _Crap, she can't know that I have super smelling powers! I gotta play this off cool._

"What really? You must have a bad nose!"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lucy shake her head, not pursing the matter any further.

"Well wherever you're taking me it better be good!" She said instead as Natsu inwardly congratulated himself for his quick wit and stealth.

"There it is!" Natsu exclaimed a few minutes later. He pointed to a shabby little hot dog vender on the street corner. It had the classic red and white umbrella with the plump man next to it selling hot dogs for cheap.

"A hot dog stand?" Lucy said in exasperation. "We come all the way to New York and you want to eat at a hot dog stand?"

"Yup." Natsu said, nodding his head vigorously.

"That actually sounds delicious! I can't remember the last time I've had a hot dog. My parents normally insist on going to a bunch of fancy expensive places for dinner."

"Yeah well fancy and expensive isn't really my style." He admitted, walking up to the vender with an infectious smile.

"I'm starting to think it isn't mine either." Lucy said in an excited whisper, like she was just finding that out for herself too.

"That will be four dollars." The man said after Natsu ordered two hot dogs, fully loaded. Lucy started to reach for her wallet, but Natsu grabbed a few crinkled bills out of his pockets before she could.

"I'll pay!" Natsu offered, handing the man the money before she could protest. He remembered Erza telling him over and over again that he was the one who needed to pay tonight. He didn't know where the red head had gotten the money, just that she gave it to him to cover the night's expenses.

"You sure?" Lucy said. "It's no big deal for me to pay. My parents have plenty of money."

"Of course I'm sure." Natsu replied, handing her the hotdog. "That's why I offered."

"Thanks."

"No problem!"

They took their hotdogs to an empty bench along the sidewalks not too far from the hot dog vendor. They ate their food as the watched all the cars and people move by, taking in all the strange sights and sounds. Previously, Natsu was under the impression that the people in America were pretty normal, especially in comparison to the flamboyant characters he met in Earthland. But as he and Lucy played a game to see who could find the strangest person, his opinion quickly changed.

By the time they finished their food, Natsu spotted a fat man in a frilly pink tutu and a group of three woman walking with blind folds on. Lucy trumped his sightings by pointing out an Irish rock band, each member with their entire body painted a vibrant shade of green. He didn't think that was weirder than the tutu guy until Lucy pointed out that the drummer was leading a pig on a leash. They had good laughs about all the strangers they saw and eventually got up to continue their stroll of the city.

"You know people are probably pointing at you for being a weirdo too?" Lucy commented with a giggle.

"What no, I'm completely normal."

"You're wearing a scarf and it's not even cold outside and besides, you have pink hair!"

"Pink hair isn't weird. And besides it's not pink its salmon!"

"Salmon or pink, it's just not natural."

"Mine is." Natsu huffed with his arms crossed. "And besides, you're a weirdo too."

"How so?"

"You- um- it's just that… you say weird stuff!"

Even though the hour was beginning to grow late, the crowds of people did not relent. This really was the city that never sleeps. The pair of teens didn't even feel the time passing as they explored the city together, ducking into funny looking shops and looking for fun wherever they could find it.

"Come on, I want to show you something." Lucy said eagerly.

Lucy led Natsu through the crowds towards somewhere that seemed to be even more populated. Soon it became clear where she was taking him. If Natsu thought the lights of the city where overwhelming before, it was nothing compared to the brilliant beams coming from their new destination.

"This is Times Square." Lucy said proudly.

"Whoa." Was all Natsu could mumble as his mouth hung open in awe. The black of the sky was barely visible beyond the neon colors glowing from signs, screens and buildings. It was the epicenter of the city and seemed to shine brighter than the rest of it combined.

"I know." She agreed dreamily.

The stood there in silence for a few moments, taking in the sights. Natsu couldn't believe how different this place was from Earthland. New York was nothing like Magnolia and America was nothing like Fiore.

And although he appreciated the beauty of the lights and the excitement of the city, for the first time since he left, he found himself incredibly homesick. He wanted to see the stars at night and he wanted to smell the fresh air of nature. He wanted to get in fights and go on jobs. But most of all he missed his guild and his Fairy Tail family. New York was incredible in its own right, but it made him long for the comfort of home.

From beside him, Lucy asked if he wanted to go get ice cream from one of the parlors a little ways away. Absentmindedly, he agreed, in a way happy to get away from all the commotion as they slipped inside the small shop.

They got ice cream and settled into one of the booths at the back.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked, eyeing the gloomy look on the pink haired boy's usually enthusiastic face.

"Just feelin a bit homesick." He mumbled back, poking his ice cream with his spoon.

"I guess New York is pretty different from California."

For a moment Natsu was confused about what she was saying, then he realized that coming from Califarnia was his cover story. Not for the first time, he wished he could tell her the truth.

"Yeah it's a lot different."

"Tell me about it." Lucy offered, her eyes curious as she looked into his.

"Where I'm from," Natsu began, thinking of his _real_ home, "is amazing. There's lots of trees and animals. The air is always pure and fresh and at night there are over a million stars in the sky. Everyone is friendly and kind. I'm friends with a bunch of weirdoes but they're family. It's always so much fun. There's not much compared to this place, but it's more than enough."

"It sounds wonderful."

"It's the best." Natsu agreed, feeling slightly better. Talking about his home, no matter how indirectly, made him feel better. It wasn't too long before he could go back and when he could he'll appreciate it even more.

And besides, as he looked across the table at the pretty girl eating her ice cream, he realized that maybe he wasn't quite ready to go home yet anyways.

"I wish I felt that way about my home." She said. Natsu looked at her more carefully. Was that sadness he heard in her voice?

"What'd you mean?"

"I don't know." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "All I know is that I don't want to say where I am now forever. My dad wants me to inherit and run his company when he retires, but I don't think I could take living in this world for the rest of my life."

"You don't like it here?" Natsu asked, utterly confused. She had spent the entire night showing him her city and speaking of it fondly. What changed?

"No, I do. I like it here in the city. It makes me feel free, like I can do whatever I want. What's tough is going back and facing reality. On Monday I'll have to go back to that awful private school and listen to my father lecture me about the future. I'll have butlers and maids watching my every move and treating me like I'm some fragile princess who can't take care of herself. I play around with the idea of becoming a writer, but even that doesn't feel like enough. Sometimes I wish I could just run away and live a completely new life."

"So why don't you?"

"What?" Lucy replied, shocked. Natsu was looking at her genuinely and wasn't sure what he said to get that reaction out of her. Surely, if she wasn't happy where she was she could just go somewhere else, right? That was how it worked in Earthland, at least.

"If you want to live a different life, why don't you?" He said simply, like he wasn't proposing turning her whole world upside-down.

"It's not that simple." Lucy said shaking her head. The she started rambling about how she had to inherit her father's fortune and about the shame she'd bring on him if she ran. She talked about financial issues and where she would live and what she could do to make money if she couldn't pay to go to college.

"Don't you see?" She said, after she finished. "I can't just run away. It doesn't work like that."

"Well it should." Natsu replied definitely. He wasn't too pleased with Lucy's description of this world. "If you aren't happy then you should be able to change that."

"The thing is," Lucy said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Even if I could go off and do whatever I wanted to make me happy, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I don't know what career I want to have. I don't know where I want to live. I don't have any big dreams or ambitions. It's my senior year and I don't even know what I'm going to do about tomorrow, let alone the rest of my life."

Natsu saw tears beginning to form around the corners of her eyes. He shook his head.

"You're overthinking it." He said. "Deep down, everyone knows what they want. It just that sometimes they don't like what their heart is telling them or are too scared to follow it."

Lucy looked up at him in awe, as if he just told her the cure for cancer. For a moment, she looked hopeful, but then that hope slowly began to drain away again.

"And what is your heart telling you?" Lucy asked with a weak smile. "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?"

"That's easy." Natsu said with a confident grin. "Once I'm done here, I'm headed back home to my family. I'm going to go out, have adventures and get into some good fights. I'm going to get stronger and once I do I got some challenges to back up. And one day, I'm going to find Igneel, my dad and then we are going to hang out together and be family again."

Lucy thought about that for a moment. If she thought it was weird how he mentioned fighting, she didn't say anything.

"What would you say to him?" Lucy asked quietly. "What would you say to your dad after all those years?"

Natsu thought about that for a moment. He had never thought about that before. He was planning on just going with the flow, but there was one thing that stood out above everything else. Natsu broke into a grin.

"I guess I'd tell him thanks. He may not have been around for a while, but he gave me everything I needed to be happy."

"It's funny." Lucy said with a harsh sarcastic laugh. "My dad has been there my entire life and has given me so many stupid materialistic things. But as far as helping me be happy, he hasn't given me a thing."

Lucy's tears began to overflow and started to spill down her cheeks. Natsu wasn't sure what to do. He always hated it when girls cried, it was one of the few times he felt absolutely helpless. But as the girl silently sobbed, Natsu felt a weird sort of instinct inside of him.

He slid out of his side of the booth and moved to the other side, right next to Lucy. He put an arm around her trembling shoulders and pulled her body close to his. He felt her head turn and burry itself against his chest.

"It's alright, Luce." He murmured. "Everything's gunna work out just fine. I promise."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Oh my gosh this chapter is overflowing with cuteness. Anyway if you haven't noticed I've been focusing on Lucy and Natsu's relationship as well as Lucy's personal ordeals. The next chapter will continue to explore both of those things and will more or less be the culmination of a lot of Lucy's school problems. Once we tie up some loose ends there, it will be time to dive deeper into our wizards' mission in America and really get the dice rolling in regards to building up to a massive climatic finale that I can't wait for you guys to read. Thanks for sticking around, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **AND just to give you guys a little teaser of what's to come, the next chapter is titled "** **Old Friends, New Friends, and Maybe More than a Friend?".**


	10. Chapter 9: Friends

Chapter 9

Old Friends, New Friends, and Maybe More than a Friend

Soft rays of light flooded the school library as Lucy casually strolled through the aisles, occasionally stopping to pick up a book and skim the summary on the back cover to see if it would be worth a read. Her private school may be small when it comes to population, but its library was second to none (well maybe that's an exaggeration, but seriously, it was pretty awesome). Wealthy parents and sponsors donated all sorts of books to the rich mahogany shelves, filling them with everything from classic literature to the Twilight Saga.

Coming in, she hadn't meant to check out exclusively romance novels, but the two books she had in her hands were packed full of sappy teenage love stories. She couldn't help it. Before, she hated reading romances because she could never relate to them and was always envious of the flawless heroines that always had the perfect man fall head over heels in love with her.

But now, romance and relationships were the only thing on her mind.

She kept replaying her night in New York with Natsu over and over again in her mind. Originally when she asked him to go with her, she had meant for it to be a date, but Natsu being Natsu was completely oblivious to that. Nevertheless, the night was absolutely magical. It wasn't magical in a fairy tale sort of way. It was just magical in a Natsu and Lucy sort of way. The pink haired teen was so cute when he got all motion sick in the limo and Lucy wasn't about to complain about him lying in her lap. With his enticing pink locks so near she couldn't help but run her fingers through it.

Once they were in New York, the night just got even better. Conversation flowed as naturally as if they had known each other for years and although they had very different personalities, they actually shared a lot of the same interests, hot dogs being a perfect example. Things got more serious towards the end of the night. Natsu opened up to her about being homesick and Lucy opened up about being sick of home. It amazed her how the boy seemed to have everything figured out. He never wavered in what he believed in and always knows what he wants to do next. She could tell he had big dreams for the future and he had that unfaltering belief that he could make them come true.

To Lucy, that was one of his most endearing qualities.

She only wished she had that sort of resolve as well. No, she ended up in tears by the end of the night, not knowing what to do with her life. She still didn't know for sure, but thanks to a combination of Natsu's words and his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt a lot better.

She recalled something Natsu said to her at the ice cream parlor.

 _Deep down, everyone knows what they want. It just that sometimes they don't like what their heart is telling them or are too scared to follow it_

The more she thought about it the more she knew he was right and the more she knew what it was her heart was telling her to do.

Her heart was pointing her towards Natsu. The way he made her laugh, the way he made her smile, the way her skin tingled when he touched her, and the way he had become her only real friend all pointed toward the same thing. She wanted Natsu to be a part of her life forever. He had some weird antics for sure. Just the other day he was able to smell hotdogs literally a mile away and touch the surface of a flame without getting burned. She knew he wasn't being completely honest with her about who he was or where he was from, but she trusted him completely.

Checking the time, Lucy realized her study hall period was almost over. She took her two books up to the librarian and checked them out and put them in her back pack, eager to read them later tonight.

When she walked out of the library she ran into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" Lucy exclaimed as she jerked back from the collision, looking up to see who she had run into.

It was Abby. The same Abby that she used to be good friends with until they got into an argument about whether or not she should be hanging out with a certain new kid in school.

"Hey Lucy." She said with a small smile.

"Hi." Lucy replied blankly, unsure of what to think and very surprised that she wasn't being ignored anymore. Abby and her long silky brunette hair looked as pretty as ever, making the Martin uniform look as though it came straight off the runway.

"Do you have a sec to talk?" The girl asked, almost nervous.

"Yes, of course!" Lucy replied instantly. "I've been wanting to talk to you too. About what I said to you in class… I shouldn't have-"

"Please don't even apologize." Abby replied quickly. "It's all my fault really. I should have realized that being friends with Natsu made you happy and as your friend I should have respected that. I'm so sorry and I hope we can be friends again?"

Lucy smiled wide and felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. This was the sweet and kind Abby that she was friends with. As good as it was to hang out with Natsu, every girl needed another girl to talk to.

"Yes that would be amazing." Lucy agreed.

"Awesome!" She said, springing forward to engulf Lucy in a massive hug. As soon as she released her, Abby started talking really fast. "Yay, I'm so happy we're friends again and I was hoping that we could hang out this weekend, does that sound cool? Sarah's having a party at her house Saturday night and everyone is going to be there and I was hoping you could come too! You can even bring Natsu and his friends as well. It will be so much fun, I promise."

"Y-yeah, sure." Lucy stammered, unable to say anything else in the wake of Abby's excitement. She had never been to a high school party before and to be honest they never sounded that appealing to her, but it wasn't like she could say no, especially after she had the generosity to invite Natsu, Erza and Gray too.

"Perfect!" She squealed. "I gotta get to my next class but I'll talk to you soon, kay?"

Abby hustled off in the opposite direction, leaving a very flabbergasted Lucy behind.

 _What exactly just happened?_

XXX

Lucy gritted her teeth anxiously as she shouldered her way through the crowds of drunk teenagers. She could barely see where she was headed and the only thing she could hear was the loud thuds of heavy music and the laughter of everyone who was enjoying themselves at the party. Just about the only person who was not included in that number was a certain blonde haired girl who felt extremely out of place.

Although she knew most everyone at the party (after all it was a small private school), she had no idea this was how all her classmates acted after hours. Nearly every single one of them already reeked with the stench of alcohol, either playing another round of beer pong, dancing on tables, or off in the corner hooking up with someone they barely knew. Lucy was doing none of these activities. She was making her fourth round of weaving around through the packed house, searching for Natsu, Erza and Gray who were supposed to be here about half an hour ago. When she told Natsu about Abby's invitation, he had instantly agreed to come, saying he'd bring his two roommates with him. In fact the teenage boy had seemed rather excited about it. She had tried to warn him about what high school parties were really like but now Lucy was beginning to think that even she didn't have a clue. It was eleven o' clock and she could tell everyone was just getting started.

 _Maybe I should just wait for them out front_. Lucy thought desperately. _They'll probably be here soon._

And so, she headed towards the front doors and escaped the stuffy house onto the front lawn. She breathed a deep breath of the fresh air, already starting to relax more.

The party was happening at Sarah Gilbert's house. It was the perfect location for a party because her parents were out of town and she lived in a big fancy ranch house far away from town, out in the middle of nowhere. There weren't any other houses nearby so the chance of their party getting crashed by police was very slim. Lucy was grateful for that bit because if her parents knew what she was really doing tonight… she didn't even want to think about it.

Lucy walked down the side walk a few steps and settled herself down on the cement. She wasn't the only one who had the idea to come outside. A rowdy group of rather large boys (she couldn't see their faces) were off to the side goofing off and a couple was making out in the bushes. Still, it was better than being inside the house or in the back yard; who knows what was going on back there.

Out of a last ditch effort, she was hoping to find either Sarah or Abby out on the front lawn too. She hadn't been able to find her two friends yet tonight. Well, Lucy was fairly sure they were friends. After all since Abby and Sarah were best friends and Abby had recently apologized, she assumed she would have at least been able to hang out with them at the party, but instead she was left to wander the party by herself like an idiot. Lucy sighed. Maybe once Natsu and his friends got here, the five of them could all stick together.

"Well, look what we have here." Lucy froze as she heard the deep growl-like voice sound from above her. Reacting from the wave of chills that were sent up her spine, she looked up at her visitor.

It definitely wasn't Natsu.

"Gordon!" Lucy stammered out in surprise, her brown eyes shooting wide open. As if returning from some very bad dream, the ginormous bully was standing in front of her accompanied as usual by his gang of lackeys. She stood up nervously, wishing that life could be like the movies where once you defeated the bad guy, they were gone for good.

"Lucy Heartfilia, isn't it? The girl with the big time daddy who cries randomly in class?" Gordon drawled with a smirk, clearly liking the effect he was having on her.

"Yes." She said weakly, wishing she could say something much more cool or snarky.

"I've been hearing rumors that the pink haired idiot is coming to this party. You're buddies with him right? You should be able to tell me if the rumors are true."

"So what if they are?" She replied, feeling some of the strength coming back into her voice.

"Curiosity." The wrestler said, cracking his knuckles. "And besides, pinky and I got some catching up to do."

Judging from the way Gordon's buddies started to laugh and form their hands into fists, Lucy knew that they wanted pay back. Really it didn't come as a surprise at all, but still, the last thing Lucy wanted was to see Natsu get into a fight again. She remembered the first time so clearly… the look in his eyes, the way he acted without flinching, the sheer rage that radiated off of him- that was something she never wanted to see again.

"I thought that things between you guys were settled." Lucy said finally. "I didn't think you'd want your butt kicked again."

"Let's get one thing straight, that little punk just got lucky the first time. He tricked me into letting down my guard but that isn't going to happen again. I'm settling the score tonight. No one's going to doubt who the strongest guy in school is after I'm through with him."

"Can't you just let it go?" Lucy pleaded. "I don't want any more trouble."

"It doesn't matter what you think, girl. I make the rules around here." Gordon said, lowering his voice into a more dangerous tone. He took another step towards Lucy, who was too frozen in fear to back away. He was much too close. She could feel Gordon's hot smelly breath on her face. "Now, tell me where Pinky is or you'll be in trouble too."

Lucy tried to shrink away, but Gordon reached out with his grubby hand and grabbed her shoulder, holding her in place.

"I- I-"

"BACK AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARD!" A familiar voice roared. Lucy turned her head to see where it came from and her heart soared in relief. Natsu was running over towards her, closely followed by another black haired boy and a tall red head girl.

"Natsu!" She gasped, her face letting on a small smile.

Gordon backed away from her, but not because he was following any orders. His face was contorted with a sick excitement as he laid his eyes on his new prey.

"Finally, he shows up." He said, rubbing his fist.

Natsu ran past Gordon and straight to Lucy, his wild black eyes thick with concern. He put his hand on her shoulders and looked right into her eyes.

"You alright, Luce?" He asked. Lucy's heart skipped a beat and she completely lost any power to talk. She felt like a princess who was just rescued from a villain and Natsu was her prince. She couldn't think of any coherent response, just that she felt warm and safe with Natsu's hands resting on her shoulders.

When she didn't respond however, Natsu only looked more worried.

"He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, I'm okay." She said finally able to form a sentence. Although, she quickly wished she hadn't said anything because as soon as he knew she was alright, Natsu's hands disappeared as he whirled around to face Gordon, who was looking angry at being ignored.

"If you know what's good for yah, you'll scram before I really get angry." Natsu said in a threatening voice.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll shut that giant mouth of yours." Gordon retorted.

They were in an insane four way face off. Natsu was standing in front of Lucy as he faced Gordon. Next to Natsu were his two friends, who looked just as angry as he was. Across from them and adjacent to Gordon was his group of lackeys, eager for a fight.

"That's it!" Natsu hollered, taking a step forward. "I'm gunna-"

"Calm down, Natsu." The pretty girl with the long red hair commanded in a steely voice. For the first time, Lucy looked closely at her. She remembered Natsu calling her Erza and telling Lucy to never make the fiery female angry. Now Lucy understood why. Erza's dark blue eyes were full of disgust as her mouth was twisted into a disapproving frown.

To Lucy's surprise, Natsu listened to her, stopping in his tracks.

"Why?" Natsu said to her, not taking his eyes off of Gordon. "This guy deserves it."

"Perhaps, but you know why you need to just let it go." She said, being the voice of reason.

"I don't like it." He said, his voice still strained.

"Neither do I."

"Fine." Natsu huffed, finally relenting.

"What a joke!" Gordon roared after listening to the exchange. "You're not going to fight me because you let a girl boss you around. What a wimp!"

Natsu looked like he was about to say something, but Erza beat him to it. She broke formation, walking straight up to Gordon and looked at him straight in the eyes, unflinching.

"Listen to me and listen good." Erza said fiercely to him. "You are going to leave Lucy and Natsu alone and you are never going to bother them again. If you so much as look their direction I will let both the authorities and your parents know the trouble that you've cause. I wonder how your hopes of a wrestling scholarship will be tarnished once assault is put on your permanent records. When you mess with either of those two, you are messing with me and I am not someone you want to anger. I can and will destroy you."

Gordon looked like he was just slapped in the face. Although Erza never had to raise her voice, it was the scariest tone any of them have ever heard. It took the bully a few moments to shake off his shock.

"L-let's go, boys." He said. No one missed the note of fear in his trembling voice. "These w-wimps aren't worth the time."

"Um y-yeah, boss." His lackeys agreed, not daring to make eye contact with Erza. They all shuffled away down the drive way, to their cars and out of sight.

Lucy was in utter shock as well. How did she do that?

"That was amazing." Lucy whispered in awe.

"I still think you should have let me kick their asses again." Natsu pouted with his arms crossed, not at all fazed by Erza's display. He was grateful not to be on the receiving end of her anger.

"Like that would have helped anything, Natsu." The black haired boy said, rolling his eyes. Lucy remembered that his name was Gray. Looking at his dark eyes, dark hair and mysterious vibe, Lucy thought that the name suited him.

"Shut up, Gray!"

"You know what flame brain, if you want a fight you got one!"

"You're on snowflake!"

"Shut up both of you!" Erza screeched, causing the boys to go silent just as she forced Gordon to moments ago. "After all, we have a party to attend." She finished with an eased smile. Lucy sweat dropped.

"We're still doing that?" Lucy asked weakly.

XXX

"I love parties!" Natsu declared as he crouched over a bowl of barbeque Lays potato chips, shoveling them all into his mouth at frightening speeds. "Lucy, why don't we come to these things more often?"

"Because most people don't come for the chips, Natsu." Lucy sighed shaking her head.

"That idiot." Gray agreed. Erza just smiled as Natsu scraped the last of the crumbs from the bottom of the bowl.

"These things are amazing!" He said licking his fingers.

"What, did they not have Lays in California?" Lucy said with a chuckle.

"No, they don't-"

"He just means he's never had them before." Erza said quickly, shooting a glance at the pink haired teen.

Lucy nodded once and smiled, seeing that Natsu had now moved onto the bowl of pretzels. The group of four was standing in the kitchen of the large ranch house and although the rest of the people there had only gotten louder and drunker, Lucy was having a much better time. Over the loud thudding of the music, she was enjoying getting to know Gray and Erza, two characters nearly as interesting as Natsu.

"So what do you guys want to do after we graduate?" Lucy asked. "Have any colleges in mind?"

Erza and Gray shared a glance that lasted no more than half a second, but Lucy caught it nevertheless.

"Haven't figured it out yet." Gray said, falling back into his cool façade. "I plan on just taking things as they come."

"Well, if you are going to apply to any universities you better do it soon!" Lucy replied. As much as the boys didn't like to admit it, she was starting to see some definite similarities between Natsu and Gray. "And what about you, Erza?"

"I have taken an interest in weaponry." She said with a fond smile. "If given the opportunity I'd like to study the field more thoroughly."

"Weapons, really?" The blonde girl asked in awe. No wonder Natsu had told her never to mess with the red head.

"I find nothing more peaceful that the clang of metal against metal in a fight to the death."

Lucy just smiled, unsure whether she should laugh or start running in the opposite direction. What she definitely didn't do was point out the irony in her statement.

"So you like older weapons? Like swords instead of guns?"

"Yes, this modern aged weaponry doesn't appeal to me as much."

"I get it." Lucy agreed. "I always like reading medieval books about knights and warriors. I've always found it more interesting than modern war movies."

The topic of weapons carried the two females in conversation for quite a bit longer. Lucy was amazed by just how knowledgeable the other girl was about swords, maces, spears, and all sorts of other lethal devices.

"And what about you Lucy?" Erza asked. "Do you know what you want to do with your future?"

"No." Lucy said with a sad smile. "Well I don't know if I do or not, it's complicated. I don't know if Natsu has told you but my dad wants me to inherit his manufacturing company. He wants me to go to a prestigious business school and then take over for him when he retires. I should be jumping on the opportunity. I know a lot of people would kill to have an easy path like that, but I just know that running that company is not what I want to do with the rest of my life."

"Yes, of course." Erza said warmly. "If you can't be happy with that job, then you shouldn't take it."

"I just wish I knew what I did want to do. Writing would be great, but being cooped up in a room all day typing doesn't sound that amazing either." Lucy sighed. "Not too long ago, I had my heart set on running away, but I don't know if I can do that either. I'd have no money, no family, and no plan."

"I see your dilemma." She said, nodding her head. "But I also believe that you will be able to find the path that's right for you. You just have to believe that it exists."

Lucy smiled. Natsu really did have some amazing friends. Gray was friendly and easy-going but mysterious and deep at the same time while Erza was fierce but warm and protective. Natsu may not have any parents or real family, but he had something that was just as precious. Lucy couldn't help but be a little jealous.

"Thanks, Erza." Lucy said with a bright smile. "You're right."

"Hey, where'd the hothead disappear off to?" Gray asked suddenly. Lucy looked over to the snack bowls where Natsu had been moments earlier, but he had disappeared.

"For his sake, he better not be getting into any trouble." Erza said with a growl.

"Let's split up and try to find him." Lucy said, laughing on the inside. Knowing the pink haired teen, there was a very good chance he was going to have to face Erza's wrath.

"Good idea." Erza said, suddenly sounding like she was commanding battle units. "Gray, you check the upstairs and I'll patrol the ground floor. Lucy, you check out back. Ready, break!"

Giggling at her antics, she followed instructions and shouldered her way out the back doors. Although the music wasn't nearly as loud outside, the party was just as crazy. There was a large pool that was filled to the brim with shirtless boys and girls in their bikinis. Straining her eyes in the dim light of a few scattered torches, Lucy searched for a familiar mop of pink hair. She failed to see Natsu himself, but her eyes did catch a familiar looking scaly white scarf on top of an inflatable raft in the middle of the pool. What was it doing there? Looking closer she saw that someone was wearing it tied around their head and that person wasn't looking so good… He was shirtless and passed out on the raft, being laughed at by everyone around him… wait was that Natsu?!

It was! Lucy hurried to the edge of the pool and started calling out his name.

"Natsu! Natsu, it's me, wake up!" She was starting to get worried. Judging by the pained look on his face he wasn't alright at all. Her heart started to race and her eyes were wild with fear. What happened to him? Did someone drug him? Did he hit his head? Did he get into another fight and lose?

Lucy was prepared to jump into the pool and rescue him herself, when someone stopped her.

"Chill out, blondie." A mellow voice sounded from some blonde guy sitting on the edge of the pool with what looked to be his girlfriend. "That idiot just started getting pukey once he jumped into the pool and landed on that raft."

"Pukey?" Lucy echoed, her heart still beating abnormally fast.

"Yeah, that kid must have a serious case of sea sickness or something." The dude laughed.

 _Motion sickness?_ Lucy thought to herself. _Are you telling me that Natsu was_ that _motion sick from being on a pool raft?!_

"That _IDIOT!_ " Lucy yelled. "Someone push him off, _now_!"

A few teens in the pulled happily obliged, flipping the raft over and sending Natsu tumbling into the water. A couple seconds later, Lucy saw his pink head pop back up, looking confused, but completely normal.

"Natsu!" She yelled, catching his attention immediately. "Get over here!"

Fear striking his eyes, he quickly swam over to the edge of the pool and pulled himself out. The moment he was standing up in front of her, Lucy began her rant.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how worried I was? First of all, you disappear and then I find you dead looking in the middle of the pool!"

"It's not my fault I got motion sick!"

"And that's another thing! Who gets motion sick from lying on a pool raft?! That's absolutely pathetic."

"I didn't want to get in the pool in the first place, but I had to! I ate these things that were really spicy -they were called flaming hot Cheetos- and I had to jump into the pool to cool myself off!"

"Cheetos?" Lucy said in exasperation, losing her volume. "You ran away and jumped into the pool because you ate spicy Cheetos?"

"Yup!" He said nodding his head rapidly.

"That is just about the dumbest thing I have ever heard." Lucy said with a sigh, but she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth creep up into a small smile.

"It wasn't dumb!" He protested. "Those things were super spicy."

It was so hard to stay mad at him for long, especially now that Lucy was just starting to get a good look at him. He had taken his scarf off his head and had started to wring all the water out of it. His pink hair was completely soaked and took on deeper almost magenta color as it drooped over his eyes. But the most distracting thing was seeing him shirtless. Little drops of water were slowly sliding down over his smooth defined muscles and his bright red tattoo was in full display on his shoulder.

Lucy felt her heart rate start to pick back up again. He was standing so close to her that she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. Thankfully, it was dark outside so no one could see the deep blush that was spreading across her cheeks.

"Let's go somewhere quieter so we can get you dried off."

"Sure, let me just grab my shirt first!" Natsu said eagerly, hopping off to pick up his long sleeve navy blue shirt that was discarded along the edge of the pool.

"I'll grab you a towel!" Lucy called out over all the noise. She picked one up from a pile on the back porch.

"Hey Luce, come over here I found a good spot!" She looked up to see that Natsu (now with his shirt back on) had gestured to her and was already running off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait for me!" She laughed and started running after him too. Soon she realized that he was leading her towards the small woods that stood behind the ranch house. Nevertheless, she hurried to catch up to him. When she finally did, they were far enough away from the party to not hear any of its noise. Lucy's ears greatly appreciated the break.

"Isn't this tree awesome?" Natsu said. Lucy followed his gaze upwards and realized what he was talking about.

They were standing beneath the most beautiful willow tree. As tall as the tree reached, its width nearly equaled its height. The tree trunk was barely visible beneath the large clumps of branches that appeared to droop towards the ground, its light sea foam green leaves tickling the soft grass. The moonlight twinkled down onto the slender light leaves and was reflected, giving the tree almost a silvery glow.

"It's beautiful." Lucy breathed.

"It's even better on the inside." Natsu said. Then he pushed aside one of the branches and stepped into the middle. Lucy quickly followed inside. Both teens plopped down onto the ground, sharing the thick trunk as a back rest. The low hanging branches shielded their view of the outside, only allowing the narrowest rays of moonlight to streak through.

"How'd you even find this place? It's amazing."

"I smelt a weird tree smell coming from over here. I've never seen one like this before."

"You have one incredible nose." Lucy said.

The fell into a peaceful silence. Natsu continued to star out on the small patches of visible sky, as if he were content to stay this was for the rest of the night. Lucy, however, had different things on her mind. Her shoulder was brushing against Natsu's. Just that little bit of contact sent tingles down her spine. She sneaked a peak at him out of the corner of her eye.

Sometimes Natsu acted so goofy she would forget how good looking he really was. The small curve of his mouth was slightly parted and his eyes were bright. The sharp angles of his face looked good in the moonlight. Lucy's heart gave a small lurch, but she quickly shook it off as she remembered something.

"Hey, I just remembered here's a towel for you to dry…" She trailed off as she looked at him closer.

He was completely dry! Everything from his hair, to his skin, to even his previously drenched shorts didn't hold even a single drop of water.

"How'd you dry yourself so fast?" Lucy asked, startled. Natsu looked alarmed too as he looked at his dry body, almost as if he was just realizing this too.

"I uh- I don't know." He said, locking gazes with her, almost as if he was searching for any hint of anger in her eyes. Lucy stared at him blankly for a couple moments, but the found herself more entranced by the deep darkness of his eyes rather than his miraculous dryness.

"You're unbelievable." Lucy breathed out, sinking back against the tree trunk, brushing shoulders with him once more.

"Unbelievably good or unbelievably bad?" Natsu asked, still looking at her intently.

"A little bit of both."

"I can live with that." He said, satisfied.

Lucy smiled. She seemed to always smile when she was around him. Her heart felt all fluttery and there was definitely butterflies in her stomach. She just couldn't help it. Over the past months she had enjoyed her friendship with Natsu. It was so important to her that she hadn't welcomed the feelings she had for him. She knew she had liked him for a while now, but she had always thought that the crush would just fade away.

It definitely hadn't. She wanted to be more than just his friend. She loved the way her heart basically jumped out of her skin every time he touched her. She wanted more of that. She wanted… she wanted to tell him. She needed him to know how she felt. It was the only way to get what she wanted. Natsu was too dense to make the first move and after all she wasn't even sure that he felt the same way.

It was a massive risk, but it was one she would have to take.

"Natsu." She said quietly, if she thought her heart had been beating fast before, now it was about to break her ribs with its hard thumping.

"Yeah?" He asked. When Lucy didn't reply immediately, he looked concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Lucy gulped. She just had to suck it up and do this.

"Yes, I just need to tell you something." Her voice shook with nerves.

"You can always tell me anything, Luce." He smiled.

 _Damn, he's making this way too hard._

"Well, I just wanted to say that I-"

"NATSU, LUCY!" A voice suddenly yelled. On instinct, Natsu leaped to his feet and hurried beyond the branches of the willow tree, leaving Lucy behind somewhere between relief and disappointment.

Shaking it off, Lucy jumped up and followed Natsu out to see who had yelled their names. As she stepped back out into reality, she got her answer immediately. It was none other than a very frantic Abby who had called their names. Even more to her amazement was who she was accompanied by. It seemed like Abby, Sarah, Erza and Gray had all been searching for them. Lucy blushed about how Natsu and her emerging from beneath a willow tree must have looked, but it seemed like the search party had other things on their minds.

"There you two are!" Abby said out of breath as Lucy jogged over to join Natsu and the newcomers.

"When we sent you to look for Natsu, we didn't mean for you to sneak off with him." Gray scowled, out of everyone he probably looked the most relaxed.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, ignoring his comment. Why was everyone looking so frantic?

"The police showed up at the party!" Abby said urgently.

"I don't know how they found out about it since my house is so far away from everywhere, but they're here and are searching the whole estate and rounding up everyone into the house. They're coming to search the woods next!" Sarah added, looking positively mortified.

"Police?" Natsu echoed. "Why would they want to come to the party?"

"To bust us, pinky!" Sarah said indignantly.

"We're underage and not supposed to have alcohol." Lucy explained quickly to Natsu, her heart sinking. "We could be in big trouble."

Lucy's mind was racing. She couldn't afford to be caught! Sure she hadn't drank any alcohol tonight but what if she was guilty by association? The police would call her parents and she would be in major trouble. This was bad. This was _very_ bad.

"So the police are coming to the check the woods?" Lucy asked.

"Yes they've already done a sweep of the house." Sarah said. "Me and Abby managed to sneak out and we were outside when we saw Gray and Erza looking for you two. Before we left we heard the cops say that they were coming out to the woods next. If they find us we are going to be in huge trouble!"

"So where do we go?" Lucy asked. She hated the idea of trying to hide, but she simply could not let the cops call her parents.

"The barn." Sarah answered immediately. "It's out of the way so the cops won't look there. We can hide there until the police leave."

"What about you?" Erza asked. She had been listening intently to the plan with her arms crossed.

"What about me?" Sarah asked taken aback.

"The police are going to wonder whose house this is. I'm sure at least one of the others at the party has told them. The police won't stop looking until they've found you."

"You're right." Sarah said with a sigh. "I guess I will just have to show you guys to the barn and then turn myself in."

"But Sarah-" Abby said, almost too dramatically.

"It's alright." She said. "It is my house and my party after all."

Everyone nodded and began to follow her to the barn. They bid farewell to Sarah and walked into the barn.

And there were two police officers standing right in the middle of it.

"You four!" One of the officers said. "Stop right there!"

Lucy froze in fear. _How could this happen? I thought Sarah and Abby said the barn would be safe-? Wait, did he say four? Where's Abby?_

She looked around and saw that Abby had never entered the barn with them. None of this made any sense. She jerked her head back and forth between the stern, bulky police officers and the place where Abby should have been.

"They sold us out." She heard Gray growl from beside her. Erza motioned for him to be silent and Natsu just stood there casually with his hands clasped behind his head, oblivious to everything that was going on.

 _What did Gray mean by 'they sold us out'?_ Then everything clicked into place. _Abby and Sarah were behind this. They lied. The cops were going to check the barn not the woods. They purposefully led us to the one place we would certainly be found. This was all a set up. But why?_

"You are all coming with us back to the house." One of the officers said in a no-nonsense tone that made it clear he was not going to be argued with.

"So you're the police?" Natsu asked.

"Natsu, shut up." Erza hissed under her breath.

"I'd listen to your friend if I were you." The cop said to Natsu, who promptly stopped talking and just put a pouty look on his face instead.

Lucy meanwhile was on the brink of tears. Not only was she about to get in so much trouble, but her "friends" had just betrayed her. She felt like such an idiot. This must have been Abby's plan from the start. Apologizing to her, inviting her to this party, it was all so that she and her friends would suffer. She never thought Abby would do something like that, but it looked like she was wrong about a lot of things that night.

The police steered them back towards the house where inside the other cops were testing to see which kids had been drinking with a breathalyzer. Even though the loud party music had been turned off and the atmosphere was silent, it was still very chaotic inside the house. The cops ordered for the kids who had been drinking to go to one side of the room and the kids who hadn't been drinking stand at the other. They made it quite clear what would happen if anyone were to lie. The police were allowing kids who hadn't been drinking to call their parents and be picked up. However, there weren't too many of those kids.

Lucy gulped and started to walk with her friends over to the sober side of the room, dreading the inevitable phone call she would have to make to her parents. Honestly, she didn't know which was worse, being caught at a party or being caught at a party with Natsu.

 _Why did Abby do this to me? I get Sarahh never really liked me, but I thought Abby was different. This is not fair… I didn't do anything to deserve this._

"What if we don't have any parents to pick us up, sir?" Erza asked one of the cops politely.

"Then we'll have to take you back to the station." He replied with zero sympathy on his grizzly face.

"But we haven't done anything wrong. My friends and I haven't been drinking." Erza said very diplomatically.

Lucy started to feel a dash of hope as she scooted closer to Erza. Maybe the redhead would be able to get her out of this situation. A wave of respect crashed over Lucy as she saw how Erza handled herself around the adults. Perhaps she wouldn't have to call her parents after all.

The cop tested them to confirm her statement.

"Alright, you four can get out of here. Hurry before I change my mind." The officer gruffed.

At his words, Lucy felt a sense of relief so massive that she almost passed out. Was she really about to get out of this horrible situation with any consequence? Her heart hammered with joy know instead of fear as they were escorted out of the house by the cop.

"We'll take my car." Lucy said hurriedly, walking over to the small black BMW she had drove here in. The cop left them once they got into the car. And Lucy heaved out a sigh of sheer unadulterated relief.

"That was so scary."

"I can't believe those two girls!" Gray said angrily. "I thought they were your friends, Lucy?"

"I thought so too." Lucy said. Maybe it was just a side effect of the wild emotional roller coaster she had been experiencing that night, but she started to tear up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't cry, Luce." Natsu said gently. "No one blames you. Anyway, we didn't even get in trouble. Why is everyone so upset?"

"Abby and Sarah didn't know that none of us had been drinking." Erza said thoughtfully from the passenger seat. "I assume that their plan was to give us to the cops. If we had been drinking like they thought, then we would have gotten into serious trouble just like everyone else. But it seems like their plan backfired. As I didn't see Sarah and Abby in the house, I can only assume that they tried to sneak away despite my warnings."

"Well then let's go get them and make sure they know not to mess with us in the future!" Natsu said.

"We don't know where they are, idiot." Gray said.

"I can smell them."

Out of nowhere, Natsu jumped up and got out of the car, sprinting off away from the house.

"We have to follow him." Erza said, getting out of the car as well. "He might get into trouble."

"What an idiot!" Gray yelled in frustration, but then got out of the car too.

The last thing Lucy wanted to do was go back out there, to risk getting in trouble again. But if Natsu's nose was right (and at this point Lucy had no doubt that it was), then she wanted to see Abby and Sarah for herself. She had some things to say to them. It was about time that she stopped letting herself get pushed around.

And so, Lucy sprinted after them.

Natsu led them off the road and into the thick of the woods surrounding Sarah's ranch house. Once they got close they slowed down and began to walk, keeping their ears pricked for the two other girls who were wondering through the trees at night. Lucy couldn't help but commenting on Abby and Sarah's poor choice of escape routes. After the loud thumping of the party, the thin silence of night was eerie. Cold wind whistled through trees which were coated with darkness so thick that Lucy found herself needing to look up towards the moon to keep track of where she was.

"Not going to lie, this is pretty creepy." Lucy whispered, looking back over her shoulder at a shadow she could have sworn moved…

"Be careful or the ghosts are going to get you." Natsu said in an eerie high pitched voice.

"Not funny, Natsu."

"Hey I hear them!" Natsu exclaimed. Lucy strained her ears but she couldn't make out any noise.

"Really?"

"Yeah, they're complaining about getting mud on their shoes. Come on, this way."

Soon Lucy was able to hear them too and not long after that the two groups met head on in a small clearing that allowed for more moonlight to illuminate the scene. Sarah and Abby were so startled that they screamed, a high pitched girly noise that was cut off when they realized that they weren't being ambushed.

"Wait Lucy?" Abby said in shock. "What are you guys doing here? I thought-"

"That we'd be in jail right now?" Gray finished for her.

"How dare you guys try to hurt Lucy like that!" Natsu added on. "And you call yourselves her friends?"

"We will not let you two get away with this." Erza said, stepping forward.

Despite the circumstances, Lucy managed a weak smile. Even though her two old friends sold her out, it felt good to know her new friends had her back.

"Thanks guys." Lucy said, walking past them to face Abby and Sarah head on, giving them her fiercest stare. "But this is something I need to handle myself."

As she took a deep breath, Lucy realized that for some reason she was calm. For the first time, she didn't feel inferior to the two popular girls. They were both covered in sweat and dirt from their trek through the forest and the disgusted, arrogant scowls on their faces did nothing to help their appearances. Lucy no longer wanted to impress or please the girls. She merely wanted them to know that she was done with them.

"How did you get away from the cops?" Sarah said, looking at Lucy like she was a nasty piece of garbage.

"I didn't, you made sure of that. But once they checked us and saw that we haven't been drinking they let us go."

"Damn it." Sarah cursed under her breath.

"So it looks like the ones who are really going to be in trouble is the two of you. Erza is right. The cops aren't going to stop looking for you, Sarah. And Abby, I wouldn't trust your friend to protect you."

"So what are you going to do?" Abby said, speaking up. "Turn us in?"

"No." Lucy answered. "Unlike you I don't stab people in the back. But it's not like I even need to turn you in. You'll get what you deserve in the end."

"You ungrateful bitch." Sarah spat. Her hair was matted and sweat was dripping down her face, ruining her makeup. She looked so pathetic Lucy didn't even take any offense by her comment.

"The only reason I'm here is to ask you why you did this." Lucy said with an empowered serenity. "It's not like I ever did anything to either of you. Abby, I embarrassed both of us in class that day, but I did nothing to warrant _this_."

"How cute." Sarah said to Abby with a harsh laugh. "She thinks this is all about her."

"We never hated you Lucy. In all honesty we feel bad for you. What could have possibly driven you to associate with those filthy poor kids? You had a future, Lucy. You had promise. And then you went and threw it away to be friends with a disgusting pink haired bag of dirt who probably can't even afford to buy another pair of shoes." Abby sneered.

Natsu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists together in anger, but Erza was sure to hold him back, although Lucy didn't miss the fact that her face was twisted in rage as well.

"We had to do something." Sarah said. "We can't have you three peasants stinking up our school forever, especially after the cheap trickery Pinky showed with Gordon. So we made a plan."

"I would befriend my dear old pal and then invite you to this party." Abby said. "The original plan was to use this party as an opportunity to embarrass the three new kids so badly they would have no choice but to change schools, but then cops showed up unexpectedly. It was then we decided that why bother making you want to switch schools, when we could try to get you kicked out! We lured you into that barn thinking that the cops inside would take the three of you to jail seeing as you are over eighteen and have no parents to bail you out."

"But you had to be goody two shoes and not drink." Sarah spat. "But it doesn't matter. We are still going to find a way to get you kicked out of the school."

"No you aren't." Erza said, speaking up. "I'm sorry Lucy, but if you don't mind I would like to say something."

"Go ahead." Lucy said.

"If you try to hurt any of us or try to get us expelled ever again, I will personally make sure that your parents, the school and the police know exactly what went on here tonight. As we were never friends, don't consider it as a back stabbing, but rather as a warning. We are not to be messed with."

Lucy smiled as Erza's words had the same effect on the two girls and it had on Gordon earlier that night. Judging from the look on their faces, Lucy didn't think that they would bother the four of them anymore.

"We will be going now." Lucy said. "Good luck on your escape plan, I hope you thought this far ahead. Oh, and if it wasn't obvious, we are no longer friends. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out, but the new friends I've made are a million times the people you could ever be. And you may think that Natsu, Erza and Gray are 'bags of dirt', but right now it looks like the two of you are the ones who are covered in it right now. Goodbye Sarah, Abby. See you at school."

With that she turned and walked away, closely followed by her three real friends. On paper the night may have looked like a total failure, but she was happy that Abby invited her. It made her see the truth and feel a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Wow, Luce, you showed her!" Natsu said beside her in excitement. "That was awesome!"

For the first time since being under the willow tree, she remembered that only a short time earlier she had been about to tell Natsu how she felt about him. Looking back, it was probably best that she never got around to it. At the moment she was happy to have three such amazing friends and she didn't want anything to change that.

She was completely and utterly happy. And that felt pretty damn good.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Wow that was really long, but I don't think anyone is complaining! Don't get too used to the 8,000 word chapters though, this was just a special case since I didn't want to break this part up into different pieces. ANYWAY, much more importantly, there is going to be a FIVE MONTH time skip between this chapter and the next! According to my timeline, Natsu and his team have been in America for five months so far and with the time skip there will only be two months left for them to complete their mission. It's about to get real.**


	11. Chapter 10: Two Months Remaining

Chapter 10

Two Months Remaining

 _XX Five Month Time Skip XX_

"Happy, I'm so bored!" Natsu complained. The not so pleasant dragon slayer was sprawled out on the couch in his apartment's living room, staring blandly at the stark white ceiling above him. Since the apartment didn't have the best heating system, the crisp spring air penetrated through its thin walls with ease, still carrying a hint of the past winter in its fresh breeze. The teenage boy didn't feel the cold but that wasn't because of the white scarf draped around his neck. His imperviousness against all things frigid had been difficult to explain to Lucy, but he managed it alright. He figured by now, the pretty blonde had learned to deal with all his quirks.

The thought of his friend brought a smile to his mouth, something that his fuzzy blue friend didn't miss.

"You're only bored cause you're not with Lucy." Happy stated as if it were obvious.

"That's not true!" Natsu protested, saying that just for the sake of arguing.

"It's so true, because you loooooove her." The cat giggled.

"Do not!" Natsu started to feel hot, and not because of the fire he had just been munching on.

"Do too! Whenever you're with Lucy you get all smiley and happy and whenever she's not around you get all sad. It's pretty pathetic, Natsu."

"Now you're just making stuff up!" The two best friends bantered a while longer, having nothing else to pass the time with.

It had been five months since that party Lucy had taken them to and five months since the four of them had all become good friends (sadly Happy couldn't be counted in this number as Lucy still thought that he was a normal cat). Natsu loved the fact that Lucy was friends with his friends, but it got annoying sometimes too. Like right now, Lucy was out shopping with Erza, having 'girl time' or something stupid like that.

His homesickness was really starting to set in as well. It had been ten whole months since they first landed in America. Natsu had done the math (which is a prime testament as to how bored he was) and he figured out that they only had two more months left to complete their mission. They got here on June 1st and today was early on in April. They really were running out of time to track down this source of magic. They had been searching constantly for the man with the Crimson Blade guild tattoo, but had so far come up with nothing. In fact, Gray was out searching for any new leads at the moment. But Natsu had decided to leave that sort of worrying to Erza and Gray because he had other things on his mind.

The first of which was the amount of time since he had gotten in a really good fight. He spared with Gray whenever he got the chance, but it just wasn't the same as having an all-out life or death showdown with a bad guy. His muscles were itching to be stretched out and he had never gone so long without destroying any buildings.

"Say Happy." Natsu said, thoughtfully. "You wanna fight?"

"What?!" The cat said shocked. "You're joking, right?"

"Not at all little buddy," Natsu said eagerly, jumping off the couch and to his feet, swinging his arms around to warm them up. "Let's see what you're made of!"

"Someone help!" he squealed. "Natsu's gone crazy!"

Happy sprouted wings and zoomed off across the room in fear.

"Hey wait up! Watcha runnin' for? I just want to fight!" Natsu started chasing the blue cat around the room, bounding over furniture and ducking around light fixtures as he tried to grab the quick little guy.

"Help!" Happy continued to scream in distress.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?"

Natsu stopped in his tracks and Happy zoomed away to hide behind a lamp. Gray had returned and was standing near the entrance with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He had a slight frown on his face and didn't look too pleased.

"My savior." Happy whimpered as he saw the ice mage walk through the door.

"Perfect." Natsu said cracking his knuckles. "Ready to throw down, popsicle pants?"

"Shut it, Natsu." Gray said, crossing his arms, clearly not in the mood. "Where's Erza? I got something to tell her."

"She's out shopping with Lucy." Natsu answered, frustrated that no one wanted to fight him.

"She better hurry back or I swear I'm gunna-"

"Or you're going to what, Gray?" Suddenly, the door swung open yet again and this time Erza appeared at its threshold, loads of shopping bags dangling from her arms.

"Erza!" Happy said, still hiding in his corner. "Oh now you've done it, Gray."

"Look Erza, I got a lead and I think it could turn out." Gray said seriously, not wasting any time.

"Really?" Erza said, looking somewhere halfway between excited and skeptical. "What is it?"

"I was at a bar in New York City-"

"Are you sure you were actually looking?" Happy said, stifling a giggle.

"- and I was talking to the bartender, asking if he's ever seen anyone pass through with a red tattoo of a blade. Turns out he hasn't personally, but he told me about one of his regulars. This guy comes into the bar all the time by himself and spouts out crazy talk about how he is going to save the world and about how his master is all powerful."

"Interesting." Erza commented, nodding her head.

"And the best part about this is that this guy's master apparently has the red blade tattoo. Or so the bar tender says his costumer says."

"Good work, Gray. This is the most promising lead we've had in months."

"Tell me about it." Gray shrugged. "We might end up chasing down an ordinary lunatic, but it was a nice change to actually find something worth checking out. If we're lucky this man could be an underling of the wizard we've been searching for."

"I think we deserve a little luck." Erza agreed. "We are running out of time to find this source of magic power. If this lead falls through too…"

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there." Gray warned solemnly.

"Let's get moving then." Erza nodded, dropping all her shopping bags.

"Come on lizard brain that means you too." Gray called back to Natsu as the trio started to head for the door.

"Wait! I wanna come too!" Happy squealed.

"Sorry Happy, but we don't want to raise any suspicions about having a blue cat with us." Erza said apologetically.

"Awe man, I always get left behind." Happy sulked.

"It's alright, Happy." Natsu said warmly to his little friend. "I'll tell you all about it when we get back."

"Thanks Natsu." He sighed. "And be careful. Don't do anything too stupid while you're tracking this guy down."

"What makes you think I'd do something like that?" Natsu said, exaggerating his offense.

"There are some things we don't need Carla's clairvoyance for."

XXX

"Are you sure this is the right guy?" Natsu asked, staring curiously at the man sitting at the bar in one of the tall stools with his back facing the three wizards who were seated at a small table across the room. The man in question was wearing a long tan trench coat and had a shiny bald head. "I mean the lame trench coat looks pretty suspicious, but the dude doesn't seem that tough."

"That's him alright. He matches the description that the bar tender gave me." Gray said quietly, keeping the man in the corner of his eye at all times. The Fairy Tail wizards had traveled to New York in a cab (much to Natsu's dislike) and had come to the same bar Gray had investigated earlier. Sure enough the man came in around nine o'clock that night like usual. The three teens had been observing him for the last half hour, trying to decide what their next move should be.

"Still, he doesn't look like a powerful wizard." The pink haired boy said skeptically.

"Sheesh Natsu, do you even know what's going on here?" Gray said rolling his eyes. "That isn't the wizard from Crimson Edge who we think is behind everything. The man at the bar is probably only his subordinate. He might know something about our real target, but he definitely isn't a wizard. Besides us, I'm pretty confident that the Crimson Edge guy is the only other wizard in America."

"That makes no sense."

"Your brain makes no sense!"

"Boys!" Erza snapped. "Now is not the time for arguing. We have to decide what to do next."

"Well that's obvious." Natsu said with an eager smile. "We just go up to him and ask him what the heck's going on here. If he doesn't want to tell us then we'll beat the answers out of him."

"Idiot."

"No, that won't work." Erza reasoned. "First of all, we don't want to cause a scene and secondly, he might not even know anything or he could be under a spell that makes him forget. I think it's a better idea to track him. If we follow him and he leads us back to the Crimson Edge wizard's headquarters then we might even get to meet his boss in person."

"Perfect." Gray nodded.

"Whatever." Natsu said, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "Wait where'd he go?"

Erza stood up immediately and flung her head around, searching the bar for the man in the trench coat who was no longer in his spot at the bar. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him exiting the building.

"He's on the move. Quickly, let's go." She commanded.

Outside, they saw the man waving down and taxi cab and Gray quickly did the same. When they got inside the car, Erza took the shotgun seat while the boys filed into the back.

"Follow that cab!" Erza ordered the cabbie.

"Um miss, I'm not supposed to-"

"Just do it!" She nearly screamed in her death tone. "He's getting away!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The cab driver said, changing his mind as he glimpsed the horrifying look on the red head's face.

"Smart move, bro." Gray chuckled in the back seat.

"I'm gunna be sick." Natsu moaned, clutching his stomach, already looking ill from the moving vehicle.

"Just don't puke on me." Gray said, disgusted.

They drove for quite a while in intense silence. They followed the other cab out of the city. The quiet only became more dramatic when they realized that they were driving back towards the suburbs where they had just come from. In fact, the wizards almost thought they were headed back to their apartment until the two cabs turned down a different road.

Natsu looked out the window dizzily from his motion sickness. He tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Isn't this the road to Lucy's house?" He asked. His two friends gave no answer.

"You can let us out here." Erza said suddenly to the cab driver, who shrugged and pulled over to the side of the street.

"But why?" Gray asked. "The other cab isn't stopping yet."

"We can't risk the man in the trench coat knowing that we followed him. We want to stay hidden for as long as possible." Erza said as she handed the cab driver money for the trip. "It's obvious that he is going to Lucy's house. We will run the rest of the distance on foot and try to observe what he is doing there discreetly."

They got out of the cab and it turned around and drove off without them.

"That man is going to Lucy's house!" Natsu growled, starting to snap out of his sickness.

"I'm afraid so." Erza nodded.

"But why?!" He was growing angry.

"The man's boss, the wizard from Crimson Edge, brought Lucy to her orphanage when she was only a year old. They are connected somehow."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Natsu said, sprinting off in the direction of Lucy's mansion. "She might be in danger."

Erza and Gray started sprinting after him. Being something a little more than human, the trio reached Lucy's place in no time at all. Natsu was prepared to charge through the front door right then and there, but Erza held him back.

"Hold on, Natsu." Erza whispered fiercely, pulling him with her to hide behind a bush near the road. Gray followed in suit.

"What are we waiting for?!" He replied angrily.

"Look, hot head." Gray said.

Natsu did. He looked over at the Freeman mansion and saw that it appeared entirely peaceful. It looked like any other night. No lights were on inside the house and no one was outside.

"Where is that jerk?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Use your nose." Erza said. Natsu took in a deep breath of air and caught the dusty stingy scent of the man in the trench coat. He scowled once he could pin point his location.

"He's in the tree." Natsu spat. "The one right outside Lucy's window. He's watching her."

Feeling a wave of outrage and protectiveness, the dragon slayer jumped up to run to Lucy's rescue, but Erza held him back yet again with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Have some patience, Natsu." Erza said. "We can't do anything too rash."

"I can't let that creep near Lucy!" Natsu said, his voice growing louder. He tried to break free of Erza's grip but then Gray jumped in to help her hold him back.

"Quiet down, Natsu." Gray said. "Lucy isn't in any danger right now."

"The bald man is only observing her right now. Gray's right. She isn't in any immediate danger."

Natsu snorted but stopped trying to break free. He kept his eyes and nose concentrated on the tree where the creep was watching his Lucy. His muscles were tense and ready to protect her at a moment's notice.

"So what do you think?" Gray asked Erza, once they were both confident Natsu had calmed down. "Why is he watching Lucy?"

"I can only assume that this is a mission given to him by his boss. Perhaps Lucy is a part of whatever plan the Crimson Edge wizard has."

"And what your opinion on this wizard guy? Is he a friend or foe?"

"I think hoping for him to be a friend would be far too naïve. Whoever this wizard is, I don't think he has good intentions."

"I would have to agree with you."

They waited for a while longer in silence. Then, the bald man climbed clumsily down the tree and began to walk back towards the street and away from the house, accomplishing whatever he came there to do.

"So are we just going to let him get away?" Natsu asked, still clearly frustrated.

"No." Erza said, surprising both the boys. "After what we've learned, it's foolish to believe that he would lead us back to the enemy's headquarters. Clearly the head wizard is careful enough to obtain human subordinates to keep watch over things to make sure his plan, whatever it may be, runs smoothly. He's careful and shrewd, not a good combination for us. It's probable to assume that he has other subordinates as well and it's just a testament to his cleverness that it has taken us this long to just find one of them. I say we act and confront this man, but first we need to put some distance between- wait Natsu!"

The pink haired dragon slayer had heard enough. He charged after the bald man who also broke into a sprint the moment he saw he was being chased.

"That idiot!" Gray roared.

"I didn't mean that we would confront him right now! Not while we are so close to Lucy's house!" Erza shouted, but her words were lost. Natsu was in full pursuit and although the older man was running for his life, the fit and battle trained wizard caught up to him easily.

The man in the trench coat only made it a little ways down the street before Natsu tackled him to the hard pavement. Erza and Gray sprinted after him to catch up.

"What are you doing at Lucy's house?!" Natsu demanded as he pinned the man to the ground. He gave no response other than a pained moan.

"Natsu, get off of him!" Erza demanded once she reached the scene.

"But-"

"Get off of him now! He can't talk while he's pinned down like that!"

Reluctantly, Natsu obeyed. He stepped back from the man. The three wizards surrounded him in a triangle formation with the enemy at the center. There was no chance of him escaping.

"I'm sorry about that." Erza spoke to him in a much more civilized manner. "My friend tends to act on his emotions rather that his brain."

The bald man turned to face the red head. They all got a good look at his face for the first time. He had an oval shaped bald head that vaguely resembled a potato. His nose was rather large and his eyes were smaller than they should be. Thin and beady, his finicky pupils fluttered around, trying to look at all his captures at once. At first glance he seemed normal enough, but they couldn't shake that there was something not quite right about him.

"No need to apologize so much, the nature of humans is such." The man chimed, his voice an octave too high for what should have come out of his thick body.

"Did he just rhyme?" Natsu echoed. Erza ignored both comments.

"Who are you?" She asked instead.

"Dear old George is my name, but I am a part of a much greater game." He replied with a chuckle.

"I'm not playing any games." Erza warned, narrowing her eyes, trying to determine if the man was messing with her.

"No the game does not belong to one such as you, but to my master, a man whose power rings true." He smiled oddly, as if he were proud of his words. His black eyes remained blank, as if there was nothing inside them.

"He's crazy." Gray deadpanned.

"You got that right." Natsu said, the boys agreeing on something for once.

Although Erza agreed with them too, she did not voice her opinion, staying focused on the crazed man in front of her.

"And who is your master?"

"He is a man who possesses a power so broad, he is wise, a saint, a wizard, a god." The man continued to chant in a dreamlike state.

"A god?" Erza echoed skeptically, more convinced of this man's insanity rather than the possibility they were dealing with a god. "Then what is he doing here?"

"I would never give away my masters plight, I would rather sacrifice my own life."

"I don't think you understand." Erza warned, growing tired of his riddles, taking a step towards the man. "I'm not asking for answers. I will take them my force if necessary."

"Nor to me is force a stranger, but it is you who are in danger." The man said grimly. He pulled a small silver gun out of his belt and pointed it at the red head, who didn't flinch. "You mess with things that are not of your concern, leave them alone before they begin to burn. A monster dwells in the Earth so deep, only my master can maintain its keep. Children you have been warned, leave now before the demon leaves you scorned."

His eerie words still cut through the night even after they had been spoken, hovering in the air like a ghost. Unsure of what to say next, Erza fell silent.

"I ain't scared of no monster!" Natsu yelled suddenly. "I don't know what you or this master of yours is up to, but I don't like it and I'm not gunna let a monster stop me from stopping you!"

"I agree with Natsu." Gray nodded with a slight grin, unafraid. "We're taking you guys down no matter what."

"Just tell me one thing." Erza said, not smiling at her friends words like she might have under any other circumstances. "What does Lucy have to do with this?"

The man stared at her for a few moments with a grin plastered creepily on his face.

"Everything." He said, the single word ringing out coldly without any to rhyme with it.

Natsu gritted his teeth and was ready to yell at the man some more before something stopped him.

"Natsu!" A feminine voice called out. "Natsu is that you?"

The dragon slayer froze. He turned his head to see that someone was running down the driveway of the Freeman mansion.

It was Lucy.

"Damn it." Gray cursed and Erza dipped her head.

"Lucy, don't come any closer!" Natsu yelled out to her, but the blonde didn't listen.

"What are you doing here?" She called out as she ran over. Natsu's heart sunk more and more with dread at every step she took towards them.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lucy reached the group of four people.

"Natsu?" She questioned, reaching his side first. For a moment she studied the intense look on his face and then turned to the other three people on the street. Her eyes easily slid over Gray and Erza before they landed with a jolt on the bald man wearing a trench coat. Her eyes widened with shock and terror as she saw the gun he held in his hands, the gun he was pointing at Erza.

"What's going on?" She whimpered, instinctively moving closer to Natsu in fear. She gripped his arm tightly, her eyes glued to the man.

"Stay close to me, Lucy." Natsu said, not taking his eyes off of the threat in front of him.

For a few tense moments there was a stalemate, neither party dared to move an inch. The only noise was the shaky sounds of Lucy's heavy breathing. Natsu was angry. If it were up to him he'd charge at the man right then and there, tear that pathetic piece of metal from his hands, and give him a beating that he would never forget. But with the shivering frightened girl behind him, he knew he couldn't.

Then, several things happened in quick succession. The man turned around to point his gun in Lucy's direction. Reacting instantly out of reflex, Natsu grabbed Lucy and pulled her to the ground with him in order to get her out of the man's firing path. Even if a gunshot wouldn't kill him, it would still kill his innocent friend. Erza and Gray made their moves as well. Without communicating they knew exactly what to do. Erza moved to snatch the gun out of the man's grimy hands while Gray focused on restraining him. However, despite their unhuman speeds, the man was able to pull the trigger before they got to him, causing an ear-splitting crack to echo across the estate.

The bullet passed through the empty air where Lucy had been standing only moments ago. If Natsu hadn't moved her out of the way, the shot would have passed directly through her heart.

The next moment Erza snatched the gun out of the man's hand and Gray pinned his arms behind his back. However, their victory was short lived. A startlingly bright pair of headlights blinded everyone for a moment as a black car sped directly towards them down the road. They would have been squished like bugs had Gray and Erza not jumped out of the way. Natsu pulled Lucy to safety as well as he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to safety. Not surprised at all, the bald man calmly stepped out of the way in the opposite direction as the car screeched to a crooked halt. The man quickly stepped inside the car and the vehicle sped off before the wizards had a chance to stop him, leaving three frustrated wizards and one flabbergasted girl in its wake.

"Damn it!" Gray yelled, helplessly watching the car disappear from sight. Even if they could catch up to the car (and that was uncertain even with their magic power), no way could the run off at superhuman speeds with Lucy watching. And she already must be frightened out of her mind.

Speaking of Lucy, she had sat up, her eyes still wide with adrenaline and fear. Natsu knelt beside her, concern overpowering anger in his warm dark eyes.

"Luce." He said softly. "You okay?"

The girl didn't answer, or maybe she couldn't.

"Natsu, Gray, we have to get out of here." Erza said, her tense voice betraying her frustration.

The boys looked up to see dark figures emerging from the mansion. They were running down towards the people on the street. Obviously, they had heard the gun shot.

"We have to get out of here now." Erza repeated. "Lucy will be safe with them."

Natsu nodded, although he still looked doubtful.

"Hey, Luce, I gotta go now, but I promise I'll come see you tomorrow." Natsu told her quickly, whispering into her ear. "You can't tell anyone what happened here, okay? I'll explain later, but for now just make up a story to tell your parents. I'm sorry about this."

With that, the fire wizard stood back up and ran away from the mansion and down the road with his friends. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked back to see that tears were pouring down the cheeks of his friend.

 _I'll explain everything tomorrow, Luce. I promise._

XXX

The three wizards returned to their shared apartment frustrated and tired. Yes, they had managed to get a few answers tonight but there seemed to be so many more new questions. What was the monster they were warned about? What is the Crimson Edge wizard's plan? Are his powers really like that of a god? What does Lucy have to do with it all?

Natsu in particular was thinking about Lucy and what she must be going through right now. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and finding a man pointing a gun at your friends. He didn't have the time to give her any answers right away so she must be so confused right now. He only hoped that she did as he asked and kept it all a secret.

"You're back!" Happy greeted them as the returned. "I was starting to worry."

"Boy do we have a lot to tell you, little buddy." Natsu said, plopping down on the couch next to his friend. Erza and Gray joined them in the living room and Natsu explained what had happened that night.

"So basically you guys confirmed that this wizard guy is pretty powerful and has a bunch of human subordinates to help him carry out his master plan that has something to do with Lucy and a dangerous monster?" Happy said after Natsu was done explaining.

"Yup."

"Pretty much the only new piece of information we gathered was the detail about this monster." Erza said thoughtfully.

"Which is strange because I didn't think America had monsters…" Gray replied.

"That's it!" Erza said suddenly, pieces of a puzzle clicking together in her mind. "This monster, it's the source of magic power we've been trying to find! It all makes sense. I don't know how it got here or why Mystogan was able to sense it while we haven't been able to, but this has to be what we've been looking for all this time."

"Wait let me get this straight." Gray said slowly. "Our mission is to bring this monster back to Earthland?"

"Well that was our original mission: to find the source of magic power and bring it back to Earthland. But now that we know the source of magic is actually a monster, it makes more sense to focus on destroying it."

"Awesome!" Natsu cheered. "So all we gotta do is beat up this monster and we're good to go!"

"It won't be that simple. According to the bald man, this monster is especially dangerous. And besides, for some reason the other wizard is interested in it too. The man said that only his master could control it. But what does that mean?" Erza said, rubbing her temples. It was like they were missing some massive piece of information.

"I don't know but at least we know what we're looking for now." Gray said with a grin. "After all, how tough can it be to find a monster?"

"He said that it dwells within the Earth." Erza said. "So that must mean its underground somewhere. Perhaps that's why we weren't able to sense it?"

"Perfect. We can start looking for all the places it might be tomorrow."

"But there's still so many unanswered questions." Erza said, not willing to let the topic die. "Like what Lucy has to do with it all. Apparently, she is vital to the plan otherwise the other wizard wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to keep her safe. He brought her to an orphanage when she was young and now has his lackeys watching over her. Yet despite all that, the bald man almost killed her tonight. If Natsu hadn't gotten her out of the way, she'd be dead right now."

"I was wondering that too." Gray said. "It doesn't make any sense because even though that guy was insane, he seemed pretty loyal."

"Well it's not like he actually tried to kill her." Natsu said casually, joining the conversation.

"But he did." Gray said in annoyance. "If you hadn't-"

"If he really wanted to kill her he would have done it earlier when he was in the tree watching her. Besides, I can normally smell when someone has killing intent and all that dude smelled like was beer and crazy. I bet he knew that I would be fast enough to protect her and was just using the gun shot as a part of his getaway plan. A shot like that is loud enough for anyone nearby to hear it, especially for whoever was driving that getaway car." Natsu reasoned.

At the end of Natsu's logic, a silence hung over the group until Happy broke it.

"Wow Natsu you actually said something smart."

"Hey, I say smart stuff all the time!" He protested. Erza smiled.

"Nice work, Natsu. At least that solves one mystery."

"One thing I still don't understand is how this wizard chump managed to get so many followers. I mean we've had to hide our power from all the regular Americans because they would freak if they saw magic. So how come that bald guy was cool with monsters and superhuman power?" Gray asked.

"The bald man said that his master was a god." Erza reasoned. "So that means either they are under some sort of brain washing spell or this master tricked his subordinates into thinking he is divine."

"The dude was definitely a lunatic, that's for sure." Gray snorted.

The conversation broke off for a moment. The only thing left to do was to get up tomorrow morning and start-

"I want to tell Lucy the truth tomorrow." Natsu said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"WHAT?!" Gray and Happy shouted at the same time. Erza only sighed and down casted her gaze.

"She deserves to know the truth." He said confidently. "I've been lying to her for months and now we know for sure that she is in serious danger. She needs to know what's going on and that we are going to do everything in our power to protect her. As far as I am concerned, this mission is now just as much about saving Lucy as it is dealing with that wizard and his monster."

"Yeah but you can't just spill out our secrets!" Gray protested.

"Yeah, Lucy would definitely freak out!" Happy agreed.

"Of course we are going to protect Lucy." Erza told Natsu, much more gently. "But you can't tell her the truth."

"Why not?" Natsu said stubbornly.

"Because in two months we will either fail or complete our mission." Erza said steadily. "Either way we are returning to Earthland and never coming back. Do you really want to leave Lucy as the only human in her world that knows another one exists? Do you want to burden her with the knowledge of magic, wizards, and monsters and then leave her to deal with it on her own? At worst it could drive her insane or cause others to view her as a lunatic if she couldn't keep it in. At best it would make her extremely unhappy to know what she was missing."

"What if we bring Lucy back to Earthland with us? She could join Fairy Tail and-"

"She doesn't belong in our world Natsu. I care about Lucy too, but it is best if she stays here, where she has a future and where she has a family. You should know better than anybody that you can't take her away from her family, even if they are going through a rough patch right now. Lucy will grow up. She will move on. She will forget about all of us. That is just how things are supposed to be. "

"But, maybe-"

"There is no maybe, Natsu. For Lucy's sake, you _cannot_ tell her."

"So what can I even say to her tomorrow?" Natsu asked, sounding slightly defeated. "How can I explain what happened tonight if I can't tell her the truth?"

"Lie." Gray replied bluntly. "Tell her any story but the truth."

"Lucy's too smart." Natsu said, shaking his head. "She never really buys into any of my lame excuses."

"Natsu." Erza said, her voice even gentler than before. "Regardless of whether or not the bald man actually meant to kill her, Lucy was in danger tonight."

"I know."

"As long as she is friends with you Natsu, she will experience danger that an innocent human girl shouldn't have to endure."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"In two months we are going to leave here, and never return."

"You already said that." Natsu huffed, not liking where this conversation was turning.

"I know you've gotten very close to Lucy over these past months." She said. "You can't forget that in a short time you are going to have to say goodbye for good."

"Why are you bringing this up now?" Natsu growled. Of course he hadn't forgotten. Sure he wasn't the sharpest thinker but who would forget something like _that_?

"You need to stop seeing Lucy." Erza said, her words sharp as knives.

Natsu's world stopped spinning for a moment. Stop seeing Lucy… that was something he just couldn't wrap his head around. Her pretty blonde hair, her warm brown eyes, her beautiful smile and her infectious adorable laugh; what was his life even like before she was in it?

"No way." Natsu said immediately.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have let your relationship go on for as long as it did but you don't have a choice anymore, Natsu." Erza said softly. "This is not just for your own good, but for Lucy's. We will continue to protect her and watch over her from a distance, but we can't continue to associate her and risk bringing her into potentially dangerous affairs. If she follows us somewhere again, if she follows us into wherever that monster is being kept, she might die. I can't take that risk and I know you can't either. Remember, Lucy doesn't know that we are leaving in two months. It will be less painful for everyone if we all just sever ties with her now instead of letting her even closer into our hearts. I hate that it has to be this way, but there is no other option."

"Like hell there are no other options!" Natsu yelled standing up, unable to control himself. "That's the best you can come up with Erza? Severing ties? That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard! I can protect Lucy _and_ be friends with her, just you watch me!"

"Natsu…" Happy said softly, hating to see how much his friend was hurting right now.

"Erza's right, Natsu." Gray said.

"I don't believe that!" Natsu roared again.

"Natsu, I know you care about her." Erza said, her voice coming off a little stronger. "And that's part of why I don't want to see you break on the day we have to say goodbye. But if it were only your feelings at stake, I'd let you make the decision on your own, but that's not the case. Now that we know how dangerous this mission really is, we need to leave Lucy out of it. Because you care about her, you have to think about _her_ feelings and _her_ safety, not your own."

Natsu sat back down. He closed his eyes and dipped his head. He wanted more than anything to be able to stand back up and tell Erza how wrong she was, but he couldn't. She was right. He couldn't be selfish anymore.

"Fine." Natsu muttered. "I'll end things with her tomorrow."


	12. Chapter 11: Broken Promise

Chapter 11

Broken Promise

Gentle rays of sunlight streamed through the glass of Lucy's bedroom windows. Even beneath her warm blankets, the girl felt cold crisp morning air pierce through her skin. Fully awake and still tucked in her bed, Lucy hesitated to open her eyes. Memories of last night flooded her mind and she was still desperately holding onto the hope that they were all just a dream.

She opened her eyes and knew that they were reality.

For some reason, Natsu, Gray and Erza were on the street in front of her house last night. She remembered waking up and thinking she heard a noise. Just to be sure she had peaked out her window and saw a shock of bright pink hair that was able to cut through the darkness. Now she wished more than anything she hadn't given in to her curiosity and hadn't gone down to the street because what she saw there was like something out of a horror movie. There was a man with a gun and he almost killed her.

She nearly died last night. That was something she just couldn't wrap her head around. At any rate, if Natsu hadn't moved her out of the way, she would be stone cold and lifeless right now. Another shiver was sent down her spine.

Despite knowing that she should be praising the heavens for her good fortune and appreciating the man who saved her life, she was still far too scared and confused to be truly grateful. What were her friends doing at her house last night? Why did that man almost kill all of them? Why did Natsu not want her to tell anyone the truth?

After the man got away in that car and her three friends disappeared sprinting down the street, her parents and Pierre (their butler that remained at their house full time) came rushing down to her aid. They had heard the gunshot and saw three other figures on the street as well. Lucy, who had done her best not to act terrified out of her mind, told them that they were just a group of people hunting deer in the woods close to her house. Her story was that she was taking a midnight stroll when the hunting party came up to her and asked directions because they were lost. One of them accidentally dropped their gun and the shot rang out. It wasn't a great story, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances.

Her parents called the police nevertheless and they were still currently searching for this "hunting party". Lucy had returned to bed and tossed around for hours before she finally fell asleep.

Lifting her arms up in a long stretch, she tried for a few moments to not think about the events of last night, but her mind was just too restless not to. All her speculations, all her thoughts came back to Natsu. She was sure from the very first weeks of knowing him that he was different. He was hiding something big and until now, she had been able to turn a blind eye to all his quirks. But last night they both had almost died. It was about time she learned the truth. Natsu had promised to explain everything and she was going to hold him to that oath.

One of the things that disturbed her the most was that throughout the whole ordeal, Natsu didn't even seem that scared. He was cool and collected, more focused on protecting her than protecting himself. It was as if he wasn't even worried about his own safety. Thinking back, Gray and Erza seemed to look that way as well. It didn't make any sense. Yes, it felt good to know that Natsu would always look out for her, but even so, who in their right mind wouldn't be scared of a mad man with a gun?

Lucy rolled over in her bed again, trying and failing to get comfortable. Her fear turned into anxiety. Whatever Natsu's secret was, it must be more than her wildest dreams. Her heart started beating faster. What if what he had to tell her was even more terrifying than what happened last night? What if it made her see him differently? Would she hate him after she found out?

 _No._ Lucy told herself calmly. _I could never hate him. We are friends- no, more than just friends._

For all the doubts she had about who Natsu really was and even though she knew that there must have been countless times he lied to her, Lucy still cared about him. She cared about him so much that it felt like her heart was about to burst open with uncontrollable emotion. He was her first real friend and maybe he could be her first…

 _I'm going to tell him._ Lucy decided suddenly. _I have to tell him how I really feel. After he tells me the truth about himself I am going to tell him the truth too. I- I love him._

"Hey, Luce." Almost as if out of a dream she heard that familiar voice sound from outside her window. Three soft taps sounded on the glass. As Lucy looked up she felt her heart give a flutter as she saw none other than Natsu crouching on the roof right outside her bedroom.

Shaking off her surprise, Lucy flung back her covers, leaped out of bed with dizzying speed and rushed over to the window, pushing open the shutter with an adrenaline boosted heave.

"Natsu." She said, breathing hard as she searched his large usually expressive eyes with her own. He definitely wasn't himself today. His expression was blank and emotionless. Instead of saying anything romantic or important she just sputtered out the first thing that popped into her mind. "How the heck did you get up there? We're on the second floor."

"Listen Luce," Natsu said quietly, none of his usual excitement or vigor in his voice. "I gotta talk to you about something."

"Yes." Lucy agreed. "And I have something to tell you too."

Her heart was practically pounding out of her chest. This was the moment where she would finally learn about who Natsu really was and it was also the moment when she would tell him how she felt. If everything went right today, it could be the beginning of something truly wonderful and if it went wrong… well that was why her heart was beating so fast.

The two teenagers went to sit down on the edge of Lucy's bed. There was about a foot of space between them. That was far too much for the girl's taste, but Natsu seemed pretty shut off right now.

 _Maybe he's just nervous about telling me the truth._ Lucy reasoned. _Maybe I should just tell him that I'll still care about him not matter what happens._

"Nice room." He said offhandedly.

Just those two words immediately forced a blush on Lucy's face. Despite the circumstances, she couldn't help but be totally aware that this was the first time she was alone in her room with a boy.

"Thanks." She said, quickly scanning her pale blue walls and light wood floors to make sure there wasn't anything laying out that would embarrass her. Her plush white bed was unmade and she had some clothes strewn out on the floor, but other than that it was pretty clean. After looking around her room, she rested her eyes on Natsu's face. His features had shifted to looking horribly uncomfortable, almost as if he were sick to his stomach. In fact he had looked more peaceful when they were riding in the back of that limo together.

"Do you want me to go first?" Lucy asked slowly. Her heart skipped a beat at the very thought, but anything was better than this terrible silence.

"No." Natsu said almost to himself, shaking his head. "I need to tell you first."

"What is it?" Lucy prompted. "Whatever happened last night, I'll understand."

"It's not about last night." Natsu said slowly.

"What?" Lucy said suddenly, not meaning to say that out loud.

"We can't be friends anymore Lucy." Natsu said, blurting out his next set of words in a rush, her proper name sounding harsh on his lips.

"What?" She repeated, not knowing what was going on or what he was trying to say. Nevertheless, her rapid pulse began to slow and her heart slowly sunk with every subsequent word the pink haired boy spoke.

"We can't be friends anymore." Natsu repeated, the words came out abrupt and painful. "Erza, Gray and I are dropping out of Martin and we are going to move away in a couple of months. Until then, I don't want to see you anymore."

"Natsu." She said, her voice coming out stronger than she thought it would. "You're not making any sense."

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Natsu said, standing up.

"You're not leaving?" Lucy said desperately, more as a question than a statement.

"I am." Natsu replied. She got a horrible sense that he was referring to not only his exit from her room but also his exit from New York. His exit from her life. None of this was making any sense. Even if he was moving away, it didn't mean they couldn't still be friends. Why was he saying that? Her mind was grappling for some sort of solution, but all she could do was stare. She waited for the boy to stop in his tracks, turn around and smile, saying that the whole thing was just some twisted prank.

He never did.

Watching the boy walk away from her and reopen her window was like watching her happiness slip away. Tears started to form around her eyes and her mind couldn't form any coherent thought other than-

"No." She said forcefully, causing Natsu to stop just before he jumped back out the window. "You can't leave. Not yet."

"I have to." Natsu said, preferring to look at the floor rather than into her eyes.

"I said you can't leave yet. Not without an explanation." Lucy said, gaining more strength in her voice the more she spoke, letting all her built up emotions from the past months spill out into her words. "Ever since I met you on the first day of school you have lied to me. You make up stories, you create one excuse after another, and you tell me all sorts of things but none of them are ever the truth! And I went along with it. I just let it happen for the longest time because you are the best friend I've ever had. But I'm not going to let it happen anymore. I'm not going to let you leave without telling me _why_!"

"I can't tell you why." Natsu said, still refusing to look at her. Anger was now overpowering grief in Lucy's heart.

"That's not good enough anymore, Natsu! I won't let you leave until you give me an answer. I want to know why you became friends with me only to leave me behind in the dust!"

"You don't want to know." He said, shaking his head at the floor.

"I can assure you, I do." Lucy growled. Natsu still wouldn't meet her gaze. "Look at me!" Lucy shouted. "Look me in the eyes and tell what you should have told me from the start! Don't you think I deserve to know the truth?"

To her surprise, Natsu did as she asked. He looked her directly in the eyes. Although Natsu's eyes had always been dark, this was the first time Lucy had ever thought of them as cold.

"It was all a bet." He said callously. "Gray made a bet with me to see if I could get a pretty girl to be friends with me. The more lies I got you to believe, the more points I earned. I never really cared about you. We were never friends. It was all just a game."

Lucy was speechless. Her tears were falling uncontrollably now, but the girl couldn't utter a single sound. Her heart was broken, shattered into a thousand pieces. Things has gone terribly, terribly wrong. How could this be true? He had to be lying. This had to be just another one of his lies.

"I don't believe you." She said quietly, forcing a whisper out of her constricted throat.

"Funny." Natsu said, although no one was laughing. "This is the first time that I've told the truth."

Nothing made any sense. This couldn't be the same Natsu she had known and become friends with. He was lighthearted and happy, always up for fun and never afraid of anything. Her Natsu always wore a smile and really cared not just about her but about all of his friends. But today she didn't even recognize who the stranger was standing inside her room. She remembered all of the love and admiration she had felt for him just moments ago, but now she just felt lost and betrayed. Whoever this person was… she refused to believe it was Natsu.

Angry and hurt, she clenched her hands into tight fists. What did all those months even mean anymore? Was anyone ever really her friend? Would anyone ever care for her like she cared about other people? How could she be fooled so easily? What was wrong with Natsu? What was wrong with _her_?

"Go to hell!" She screamed hoarsely, choking back her tears. A moment earlier, she would have given anything for Natsu not to leave through that window, but now she just wanted him to disappear.

"Trust me." Natsu said, so softly Lucy didn't know if he even said anything at all. "I'm already there."

The next second he was gone. All that was left was a cool spring breeze that made Lucy's tears feel even colder against her cheeks.

XXX

The next couple weeks drug on very slowly for Lucy. Now that Natsu wasn't in her life anymore, things were horribly dull. It started to make her think that maybe it was better to live a life that was a lie than to live no life at all. She wasn't depressed, just extremely unhappy.

She took to writing more often to get through the rough times. She had made extraordinary progress on her novel, so at least she had one thing to thank Natsu for. Meanwhile at Martin, Natsu had lived up to his word. The three new kids who had taken the school by storm on the very first day had now all dropped out. Everyone overall was pretty pleased about this. The non-rich kids never fitted in that well anyway. The first couple days after they dropped out, Lucy would hear the occasional comment in the hallways that always was something along the lines of "good riddance" or "they probably got kicked out for not paying the bills". Eventually however, the rumors and laughter died down, all memories of the trio fading out with them. Soon, it became as though they were never even there.

To everyone except Lucy, that is.

Natsu's departure wasn't the only thing that left a hole in her heart. She had gotten rather close to Gray and Erza as well. Hell, she even missed that funny blue cat Natsu always carried around on his head. She had thought that they were friends, but it turns out all that was a lie. They must really be sick people to play that horrible of a joke on her.

She still hadn't reconciled with Abby and Sarah and she didn't intend to. The two popular girls still despised her after what happened at their party five months ago. They were tracked down and caught by the police, but of course their parents were rich enough to get them out of trouble. They didn't face any punishment and still had the tenacity to throw another party. This one was to celebrate Natsu, Gray and Erza leaving the school. Needless to say, Lucy did not attend. And even if she did, it's not like she would have been welcome. Since she was hated by two of the most popular girls in school, everyone else started to hate her too. And now that she didn't even have her friends to buffer their obvious disgust, things were even worse.

She couldn't wait until high school was finally over. _Only a little over a month to go_ , she had to keep telling herself. Earlier in the year she would have dreaded the end of high school, as she didn't used to know what she wanted to do after it. However a while back she solved her problem, making the decision to attend NYU and dual major in both business and journalism. This way her father wouldn't throw a fit and she could still follow her love of writing.

With a harsh laugh she remembered when she was crying in the school bathroom, wishing she could just run away and travel the world. Natsu had made her believe it was possible. How naïve she used to be…

That day she sat through all her classes patiently, thinking about how they used to actually be fun when Natsu was in them with her.

 _Come on Lucy, you have to stop thinking about him like that._ She told herself sternly. It was something that she had to remind herself of often. After all the good times they spent together, causing mischief in class, ditching school, trips to New York, sitting beneath a willow tree, it was hard to think of him as the person he revealed himself to be at their last meeting. How could a five minute conversation of cold and callous words overrule months and months of fun and happiness? Maybe her heart knew the extent of how much Natsu hurt her, but her memories were still consumed by the Natsu she grew to care for.

 _Just_ care for. Lucy decided that despite what she thought that morning when Natsu ended things with her, she didn't truly love him. She could not deny that she had intense feelings for him, but she reasoned in her mind that she was only seventeen and really didn't have any idea what love was. She had just been consumed by her fantasies and the moment at hand. She would just have to wait for the right guy to come along to experience true love.

But still, Lucy couldn't help but wish that Natsu was the one. His infectious personality, his determination, his absolute belief in himself, and his ability to make her cheeks hurt from smiling so much all made her wish that he was who she though he was.

 _No._ Lucy told herself. _You deserve better than him. You deserve someone who will be honest with you. What you need is a good, sweet, simple boy who won't cause you so much grief._

But just like all the other conversations she had with herself, it failed to convince her.

Lucy walked home from school. She enjoyed the peaceful afternoons when no one would bother her and she was just left to dwell inside her own thoughts. She let her mind drift off to Natsu yet again. Sometimes she felt like it was more painful not to think about him.

Something about this whole thing wasn't adding up. If all the months Lucy knew him Natsu was really just playing a game, then he either was an abnormally phenomenal liar or a certified psychopath. Lucy point blank refused to believe the later, so she was led to believe that Natsu had to have been a particularly talented liar to have fabricated an entire relationship.

But what if he was lying about that too?

Even when she thought their relationship was genuine, she knew he was never being completely honest with her. And if Natsu became so accustomed to making up stories and not telling the truth, then it also made sense that he could have made up another lie about their friendship being the product of a bet. Was he just using this lie to cover up another lie? Or was this lie an explanation of all his other lies?

Lucy's brain began to hurt with all of this thinking about truth and lies. All of her reasoning seemed to just go around in a circle, but she actually started to think that maybe she made a decent point.

After all, Natsu's story didn't explain how he was super strong and had super senses, nor did it explain why he was at gunpoint by that strange man. There were some serious gaps, just like there were in all his other tall tales.

Lucy shook her head. She had to stop thinking like this. The fact was that Natsu left her without a satisfying explanation. He broke his promise and trying to justify his actions wasn't going to make anything better. With a good reason or not, Natsu had broken her heart. Hoping that he wasn't the monster he presented himself to be wasn't going to help her pick up the pieces.

She had to forget about Natsu and move on with her life.

Sadly, that is easier said than done.

XXX

The more time that passed, the easier things seemed to get. She tried the best she could to not think about you-know-who and that made things better. Currently, she was enjoying a homework free Tuesday evening by working on her novel. Her fingers were starting to cramp from several hours at her laptop, but she appreciated the distraction.

There was a light knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in." Lucy called out.

It was Pierre, their family's butler. Lucy smiled at his presence and he returned the gesture.

"How are you, Miss Lucy?"

"Good, how about yourself?"

"Excellent, thank you very much." He responded politely. "I have just come to inform you that I just sent out all the invitations for your graduation ceremony to your near and extended family and friends."

Lucy stifled a grimace. The fact that she had not been consulted about this made her nervous.

"How extended are we talking?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"You mother and father requested I send the invitation to over 50 over your relatives and family friends."

"50?!" Lucy repeated. "Do I even know 50 people that would want to come to my graduation?"

"Perhaps not, but apparently your parents do." Pierre answered, a small smirk hidden beneath his polite tone.

"Like any of them are actually going to show up." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"There's no need to be so dramatic." Pierre said with a laugh. "If it's any consolation, a lot of the invites are business partners of you father. They will probably come to meet their future associate."

"Ugh, that's even worse!"

"Don't worry, Miss Lucy. Just because they are going to be there doesn't mean you are going to be contracted into your father's position. You will still have the freedom to choose your own path."

Lucy looked at Pierre with surprise. As their family's butler, it wasn't his place to say such things. Typically, Pierre was just supposed to agree with whatever her father said and not say anything to the contrary. Lucy didn't underestimate the guts it must take for him to say that. And she appreciated it more than any trivial thing Pierre had done for her in the past.

"Thanks, Pierre." She said. "But do you really think I still have the power to pick a path other than the one my dad wants me to take? He's not exactly a man who you can say no to."

"Your father, despite being a wealthy businessman, is still a very good man." He replied. "I'm sure he will understand and accept whatever his daughter choses to do. Even if it isn't what he wants."

"You don't know my dad like I do. He's dead set on me inheriting the company."

"With all due respect, Miss Lucy, I have been under your father's service since before you were born. I happen to know him very well indeed and although there is no doubt in my mind that he wants you to inherit the company, I believe that your happiness is equally important to him."

"Then why is he making me major in business when I go to college? Why does he always act like I'm going to inherit the company even when I say I don't want to? He's not letting me do what I want to do!"

"Then answer me this, Lucy." Pierre said softly. Lucy didn't fail to notice how he dropped the formal address. "What is it that you want to do? If your answer is to major in journalism at NYU, then I promise I will drop the subject."

"I- I…" Lucy trailed off, suddenly very confused. She thought she had it all figured out, she would do a dual major, business to make her dad happy and journalism to make herself happy. She loved to write. Journalism would make her happy, right?

Her mind started to drift off again to that day from the beginning of the school year, the day Natsu found her crying in the bathroom. She had been so overwhelmed by not knowing what to do with her life that she just broke down. For a brief moment, she fantasied about what her life would be like without any of her responsibilities. She remembered her thoughts clearly.

 _I don't want to sit around in my room every day after school. I don't just want to write about adventures, I want to experience them myself. I want to leave and I don't care if I end up broke because of it. I want to be free._

And then there was Natsu, looking as though he didn't even understand what her problem was, looking as though it was the most natural thing in the world to pack your bags and run away.

 _I don't know how it feels to be confined somewhere but I do know how it feels to be free._ He had said. _And it's the best feeling in the world._

"No." Lucy said out loud, just starting to realize the truth behind what she was saying. "Studying journalism isn't what I want to do."

"I thought that might be the case." Pierre said comforting.

"But I don't know what I want to do either." Lucy said hopelessly. "Sometimes I just feel like I don't fit in with the world. I know that sounds like every other misunderstood teenager out there, but it's true. I don't belong here, Pierre. Whatever I want to do with the rest of my life, it's not here."

"You'll figure it out someday. I have complete confidence in you." Pierre said with a smile. The butler stood up to leave, but before he did, he left the girl with some parting words. "But in the meantime, I think you should understand why your father is so adamant about your going into the business world. Imagine how hard it must be for him to see his daughter so lost. He is only trying to show you a possible path you can take. Have a good evening, Miss Lucy. I hope things become clear to you soon."

"Hey Pierre!" Lucy called out before he closed her door behind him. "Thank you. For everything. You're a really good friend."

"It's my pleasure."

With that, the butler left her alone and despite being as confused as ever about what she wanted to do with her future, she cracked a smile. She had been so stupid. All this time she thought that Natsu, Gray, Erza, Abby and Sarah were the only friends she ever had. The irony was that they all turned out to be fakes and the one genuine friend she had was right in front of her eyes the whole time.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I wasn't sure if I was going to post this chapter today or not, but I ended up deciding that I would. Since I'm uploading this on December 24th, consider it an early Christmas/holiday present! Okay, okay, I know this chapter wasn't filled with holiday cheer, but I still enjoyed writing it because it was different from what I normally do. On the bright side, Lucy did discover that she always has a friend in Pierre, so that's happy, right? Always remember that things fall apart so that we can find new ways to put them back together again. Anyway, the next chapter is super exciting! Have a great holiday season and I'll talk to you guys again soon.**

 **On a completely unrelated topic, I would love if you could take the time out of your day to review. I adore reading your comments, theories, and reactions!**


	13. Chapter 12: The Demon's Layer

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi! Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took slightly longer than usual, but that's just because everything is starting to come together and since we are nearing the climax, all the chapters are very closely connected so when I tweak one chapter I have to go through and make changes for all the other chapters. But at the same time that is just a pretty excuse for the fact that I'm on winter break and have been feeling lazy.**

 **Oh and don't hate on Erza or Gray for "making" Natsu end things with Lucy. At the end of the day, Natsu does what Natsu wants to do and that has been and always will be to protect his friends no matter what.**

 **Much love to everyone and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 12

The Demon's Layer

Natsu couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a library, or even if he'd been in a library at all before. All he knew was that it was much too quiet for his taste. The local library had a little under 15 people in it and all of them were either studying, reading or browsing the shelves for books. Anyone who knew the dragon slayer remotely well knew that none of these came close to his favorite activities.

Gray, Erza, Happy and himself had been taking turns to watch over Lucy. They always kept their eyes out for anyone suspicious who was near her (like that crazy creep from the other night) and for anyone who might put her in danger. This way they could protect Lucy while distancing her from what was really going on. They knew that Lucy was necessary for the other Earthland wizard's plan, but they had no idea why, when or what he needed her for. The Fairy Tail wizards had also used the past couple weeks to relentlessly search for wherever this monster thingy was being kept. So far they hadn't had any luck, but Erza was confident that they were getting close.

In the meantime, Natsu never hesitated to volunteer for Lucy watch duty.

He felt guilty. He didn't regret the months they spent together as friends, but he hated seeing how much he had hurt her. He hated that he had to lie to her and make her think that he never cared for her at all. His life had always been about protecting and caring for his friends and what the circumstances forced him to do went against everything he ever believed in. The only way he could make it through was by telling himself over and over that this was the only way to keep Lucy safe. If he had told her the truth, then she would have never stayed out of any future fights and would certainly put herself in the thick of danger. No, it was better now to watch over her from afar and the only way to satisfy her thirst for the truth was to tell her a horrible lie so that Lucy would hate him. That had been Erza and Gray's idea. They knew that Lucy wouldn't let him just leave unless she had an explanation, but in the end it was Natsu's decision to make. He would never have done that to Lucy if he didn't think it was right. Prioritizing safety above all else was never something he was too great at, but Lucy brought out sides of himself he didn't know that he had.

He just wished the only option didn't have to be so harsh…

It seemed like Lucy was never happy anymore. In all the times he'd watched over her, she hardly ever seemed to smile and when she did it was fake, only to be polite in certain situations. Natsu knew this was his fault. He wanted nothing more than to go over to her and apologize his butt off and make her smile for real again, but he knew he couldn't.

He knew that he would have to leave her in a little over a month anyway and there was no way he could put her through this _again_.

A while later (Natsu had lost track of time), Lucy packed up her things and got up to leave the library. He waited a while and then followed her out. As she walked home, he always stayed just far enough behind her to where she couldn't see him.

Lucy returned home safely. Natsu was about to go over to the large tree outside her window, when a voice stopped him.

"Hey, Flame brain." Gray called out. "Time to switch shifts."

"Gray." Natsu sighed as he turned around. "Nah, I'm fine here."

"Sorry but it ain't your choice." Gray replied, crossing his arms. "I've spent all day with Erza checking out places where that wizard jerk could be hiding a giant monster and nothing has checked out. I'm tired and I want to take my turn sitting down and watching Lucy."

"Come on, man." Natsu moaned. "Let me just watch her for the rest of today, then tomorrow-"

"Not a chance." Gray grunted, squinting his eyes as if he were trying to get a better look at the glum pink haired wizard.

"Please? I miss her and-"

"Man, you're pathetic!" Gray growled in frustration.

"What?" Natsu replied, but his tone had none of its usual fire.

"Since when have you been the kind of guy to sit around all day and pout over some chick? Yeah I know you cared about her and whatever but if you haven't noticed we still have a mission to complete. You can't just completely forget about it and spend all day sulking!"

"I don't care what you think. And I don't care about the dumb mission." Natsu said, his voice completely deflated.

"Yeah you do." Gray said firmly. "You do care because this mission is important. If we don't succeed who knows what will happen to this world _and_ our own? As far as we know this wizard maniac is trying to destroy both."

"Fine." Natsu huffed, easily accepting defeat. "I'll go with Erza and look for this monster…"

"No." Gray said, stopping him. "That's not good enough."

"What do you want now?"

"I want you to stop sulking and act like yourself!" Gray yelled. "Because the Natsu I know would never let _anything_ get in his way. He would go to hell and back to protect his friends. He wouldn't let his own doubts or fears or pain stop him. He would bounce back from this and act like a Fairy Tail wizard!"

Something stirred inside Natsu as he let Gray's words sink in. For once, Natsu had to admit that he was right. He hadn't been acting like himself at all lately. He had thought about how Lucy hadn't been smiling at all, but he hadn't realized that the same was true for himself.

 _What is wrong with me?_ Natsu thought, the voice inside his head clear for the first time in a while. _There is a serious bad guy out there trying to destroy the world and I'm not doing anything about it._

Just like that, Natsu snapped around.

"That jerk's going down." Natsu growled, his voice deathly low and fierce. His eyes were burning and his teeth were gritted.

"That's what I like to hear." Gray said with a smile.

"Yo, Icicle Pants." Natsu said. "You stay here and protect Lucy. I'm gunna go hunt down a monster."

The dragon slayer didn't waste any time waiting for Gray to respond. He started off sprinting down the road, his mind with a laser focus on one thing: protecting everyone he cared about.

XXX

"Come on, Erza." Natsu complained loudly. "When am I finally going to get to fight something?"

"Be quiet, Natsu." Erza hissed quietly.

When Natsu had left Lucy's house resolute on fighting a monster and saving the world, the last place he expected to go was _back_ to the library. Erza had told him to meet her here while she used the computers to do some research. Apparently she was looking for places where the monster could be hiding. He still had no clue how the weird light up box things worked, but Erza had figured it out easily enough.

"What's taking so long?" Natsu continued to complain.

"Maybe if you would actually be quiet, I would finish faster!" Erza snapped, losing control of her frustration for a brief moment.

"Excuse me Miss!" Upon hearing her outburst, the librarian hustled over towards them looking furious. "If you are not able to reframe from yelling, then I will have to ask you to leave the premises! This is a place of quiet."

"Of course, ma'am." Erza said quickly, looking angry in her own right.

"This is your final warning." The librarian said before walking away.

"Way to go Erza, you almost got us kicked out." Natsu said bluntly.

"It wasn't my fault!" Erza said, but all her ferocity was lost due to the whisper she was forced to speak in. Natsu laughed silently.

"Maybe libraries aren't that bad after all."

Erza scowled and went back to her clicking and reading on the computer. Natsu drifted back into his state of boredom until he felt something stirring inside his backpack. He grinned and opened the zipper ever so slightly, revealing a bundle of blue inside.

"I can't breathe Natsu!" Happy said, his voice desperate but quiet. He was breathing heavily.

"Just a little bit longer, little buddy." Natsu said, his smile somewhere in between encouraging and humorous.

"I can't take it anymore! I gotta get out of here-"

"Sorry, Happy, but pets aren't allowed in here. You got to stay hidden." Natsu said as he zipped the back pack closed.

"Darn you Natsu!" Happy's furious whispered was drowned out as he was sealed back off.

"Hey, Erza." Natsu called out again. "You got anything yet? Happy's getting antsy."

For a change, instead of scolding Natsu for bothering her, Erza smiled. Her eyes were wide in wonder as she scanned the lines of the page she was reading one more time.

"Hey, Erza? Earth to Erza, what's going on?"

"I found something." She whispered in awe. "It's the most promising lead we've had yet."

"Awesome, what is it?"

"I found a news article from about 30 years ago. It's about two campers that were hiking in the woods just south of here. Apparently, they found this giant cavern beneath the ground. After they reported finding it, the whole area was deemed 'unsafe' and that portion of the woods was banned from anyone entering."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Natsu said unimpressed.

"Don't you see? That underground cavern must be where the monster is being hidden! It's the only thing that makes sense." Erza was so excited that she forgot to keep her voice in a low whisper. Surely enough, the librarian was beginning to make her way back over towards them.

"Let's get out of here, then." Natsu said, seeing the approaching woman out of the corner of his eye. "We got a monster to catch."

XXX

The sun had set completely and the night sky was in full prominence over the forest, casting a darkness that only allowed the dim light of the moon to give sight to the wizards beneath it.

"Perhaps we should just continue our search tomorrow." Erza said reasonably. "Even though the moon is bright tonight, it's still hard to see much of anything."

"No way!" Natsu protested immediately. "We've been out here searching for hours, we can't just give up now!"

Natsu couldn't believe how hard this cavern was to find. Since it was banned as "dangerous", obviously the entrance had been sealed off. Even so he was still confident that his super sharp senses would be able to pin point its location.

"Come on, Natsu she has a point." Happy said drearily as he floated sluggishly alongside the two wizards as they trekked through the rough terrain of the woods. "We are looking for the entrance to this cavern but we can hardly see the ground, let alone any holes in it. Besides I'm tired…"

"What's with the excuses, Happy?" Natsu said. "I say we stay out here searching till dawn if we need to!"

Erza sighed. As much as she wanted to just call it a night, she couldn't help but smile at Natsu's determination. He hadn't been himself for the past couple weeks. He'd be aloof, sad and not at all his usual lively self. And he definitely hadn't had this kind of fire in his eyes for a long while. The redhead just couldn't say no to him now, not when it felt so good to have him back.

"Alright, Natsu." She said. "We'll search for another hour, but if we don't find the cavern by then, we'll have to go back."

"Awe man." Droned Happy.

"One hour it is!" Natsu said with excitement. Finding a whole new burst of energy, the dragon slayer sprinted off again.

"Where he gets all his energy, I'll never know." Erza said fondly.

"Hey, Natsu, you better slow down or you'll run right over the cavern!" Happy said.

"Come on, let's follow him." Erza said.

"Aye sir." Happy replied drearily.

Their hour was almost up when Natsu suddenly stopped in his tracks. Erza looked at him curiously as he carefully sniffed the air.

"Do you guys smell that?" He asked, a curious look on his face.

"Of course we don't, Natsu. Not all of us have your freaky dragon slayer nose." Happy replied.

"What is it?" Erza asked. Her eyes were instantly rid of any sign of sleepiness as she realized that Natsu may have found something. She trusted him and his sense of smell.

"It smells like… well it smells like something is missing." He said slowly, absentmindedly tugging on his scarf.

"I think a piece of your brain is missing." Happy deadpanned while Erza only looked more alert.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well the forest smells pretty normal. Its scent surrounds me from all directions except for over there." Natsu pointed towards the ground at 2 o'clock. "Over there it's like a chunk of the ground is missing."

"Interesting." Erza commented. She walked over to where Natsu had pointed and found that the dragon slayer had been gesturing towards a large jagged rock about six feet in diameter. "Do you mean that you can't smell this rock?"

"No I can smell the rock." Natsu said, squatting down next to Erza and the boulder. "But I can't smell any dirt beneath it. I think there may be an air current down there."

"Then let's find out if you are right." Erza said with an excited grin.

Natsu was about to help the redhead lift the boulder out of the way, when she did it on her own, shoving the rock aside like it was made of Styrofoam.

With the rock out of the picture, a tunnel that journeyed directly downwards deep into the ground was revealed. At first glance it could have been mistaken for a hole, but upon closer inspection, you could see that its walls were lined with a smooth stone surface. It was five feet in diameter, just small enough to be hidden beneath the rock, and built into the sides of the tunnel were the rungs of a ladder that extended deep into the ground.

"Whoa." Natsu said. "I vote Happy goes down first."

"I ain't going down there." Happy whispered in fright.

"We all are." Erza said. "It looks like we've found the cavern."

"Seriously?" Natsu asked. "I mean I'm all for going down and checking the place out, but aren't you always the one that talks about caution and common sense? I'm surprised that you aren't going to make us wait and make a plan first."

"He has a point!" Happy agreed quickly. "Let's go back to the apartment and-"

"No." Erza said firmly. "You're right Natsu, I rather take things slowly but unfortunately time is a luxury we do not have." The red head reached into her pocket and took out a small clock with one hand. It was the same one Mystogan gave her before they left Earthland. Its single hand was very close to completing its revolution.

"Awesome. Let's go." Without a second thought, Natsu jumped into the hole, not bothering to use the ladder to make his way down to the bottom.

"Natsu!" Erza shouted from above him, but the dragon slayer wasn't listening. He was too busy feeling the stale underground air wiz past his face and through his hair as he plunged to the bottom of the hole. He must have fallen for a while, almost a full minute, before a hard stone floor collided with his feet as he landed with a jolt. Bending his knees to absorb the impact, he looked around, using his sharp eyes and the faint moonlight from above to observe his surroundings.

He couldn't see much, just that after the tunnel delved down vertically, it made a 90 degree turn so that it trailed horizontal to the grounds far above it.

"Natsu, are you alright?" He heard a faint buzzing above him as he saw Happy flutter down after him with his white wings extended. Erza followed not far behind the little blue cat, preferring instead to use the rungs of the ladder to quickly scamper down to the bottom.

"Yeah good… I wonder where this tunnel goes." He answered thoughtfully.

"What were you thinking?" She scolded as she finally landed next to him. "Just because we aren't going to wait doesn't mean we can act rashly. We have to do our best to stay hidden. We don't know who or what is down there, but I rather it not be us who is taken by surprise."

"Don't worry. I got this, no problem."

Erza let out a slight sigh and then began to look around herself without success.

"I can't see a thing." She murmured, waving her hand in front of her own face, unable to make out its shape.

"I can fix that." Natsu offered. He held out his hand and a small flame appeared in his palm. If felt nice to use his magic again. The familiar glow of warmth felt good against his skin as it lit up the darkness.

"Natsu." Erza hissed in a whisper. He wasn't supposed to be using magic.

"Relax, Erza. We need to be able to see and I can easily put it out if I sense anyone coming.

"Fine." Erza said. "Let's keep moving."

Now that a sphere of light illuminated the tunnel, they were able to see what it looked like more clearly. After it delved down vertically, the tunnel made a 90 degree turn so that the wizards could walk along it horizontally. It widened out a bit too. It was tall enough for them to walk upright and was wide enough for four people to walk through it side by side. It was perfectly round, definitely man made.

"How far do you think this thing goes?" Natsu asked after walking in silence for a few minutes.

"I don't know." Erza replied. "But I am curious as to why someone would go the lengths necessary to build this."

"More like, how." Happy added. "This must have taken forever to make."

"It just goes to show what our adversary is willing to do in order to achieve his goal." Erza agreed and they fell back into an eerie silence that was broken only by the steady rhythm of their own footprints on the stone floor.

"Hey look up there." Natsu said suddenly in an excited whisper. "There's light!"

Sure enough there was literally a light at the end of the tunnel. It was very faint and had a bluish glow.

"Put out your fire." Erza said quickly and Natsu extinguished the flame a heartbeat later.

Slowly, the wizards crept towards the light, wondering what they would find when they got there. Making sure they stayed concealed in the shadows of the tunnel, the wizards peered out beyond it.

The tunnel opened up into a massive cavern. It was wide enough to fit five football fields inside of it and it was as tall as some of the buildings in New York, probably about twenty stories tall. All the walls were smooth and cave like, although all around the cavern were crystal-like stones glowing an odd light blue green color. The Earthland wizards recognized them immediately as Lacrima. However, that discovery paled in comparison to what was stationed directly in the middle of the cavern.

It was the monster. However, the word monster seemed like a gross understatement in comparison to what this demon actually was. It was tall, about half the height of the cavern and its body was wide enough to stay proportional to its height. It stood on two legs, each of which looked like that of a dragon's. All of its deadly sharp talons were as long as a person and looked as though they could easily slice through bone as if it were butter. Its legs were muscular and had layers of purplish scarlet scales protecting them, so dark they almost looked black. His torso was wide and covered with fur the same purplish hue. His arms were like powerful clubs and the monsters' fur covered them down towards it elbows, but at that point the fur transitioned back into rows of scales. These scales, however, were much more lethal. It was almost as though his forearms were lined with thorns, each of the thousands of points as sharp as the talons on his feet and fingers. One scale protruded much longer than the rest. It jutted out of his elbow and extended out twenty feet, acting as an additional and enlarged talon. The monster's face looked like the head of a devil. The purple skin was leathery and dark, stretching over his pointed nose and abnormally high cheekbones. His ears were sharp and elfish while his mouth was stretched wide. At the moment, his thin mouth was closed, but that didn't stop two long canine fangs from poking down past his lower lip. Greasy black fur acted as hair on top his head, accompanied by two thick black horns. To make matters worse, the monster had a tail twice the length of his body that was line with the same needle like scales his forearms were. At the end of the tail was a ball of spikes, like a wrecking ball ready to smash through any opponent foolish enough to challenge him.

"Damn." Natsu breathed out, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. He half expected Erza to tell him to be quiet, but a sideways glance at her frozen jaw and wide eyes told him that she was every bit as frightened as he was.

For a moment, doubt crept into Natsu's mind. His heart started to beat faster and sweat dripped slowly out of his pores. He clenched his hand in a fist, but the gesture felt pathetic in comparison to the mammoth demon in front of him.

And the monster wasn't even awake. His eyes were shut and its body was completely still. Upon closer inspection, Natsu saw that both the monsters hand and feet were shackled with thick metal chains that had no slack as they extended out and attached to the stony wall on either side of him. The demon was inanimate, motionless as it seemed to be suspended in time.

 _A monster dwells in the Earth so deep, only my master can maintain its keep._

Those had been the crazy guy's words to them. Natsu finally understood what they meant. The guy's master must be the one who was keeping this monster from waking up and coming to life. But what was it he said next?

 _Children you have been warned, leave now before the monster leaves you scorned._

So this thing isn't going to be dormant forever.

 _That's it._ Natsu thought. _The master wizard is trying to_ awaken _the monster, not keep it asleep._

"Natsu." Erza said quietly under her breath. "Can you hear what they are saying?"

For a moment, Natsu had no idea what she meant, but then he looked closer at the monster's feet. There were two humans standing there, apparently having a conversation.

The first was a burly and thick man that had muscles the size of basketballs. Despite this, he looked like an ordinary person, wearing jeans and a thin t-shirt that was stretched tightly over his chest. He was clearly an ordinary person from America and looked ridiculous standing next to such a menacing monster. The second man however seemed to fit right in. He was tall and lean, almost wispy. He had short black hair and bright red eyes that looked sinister even from fair away. He wore a long black coat made out of shiny thin leather along with tall black boots. The hood of his coat was pulled low over his eyes, cascading his face in shadows. Around his neck was a long silver chain necklace with a symbol of a blade dangling from it. Although the man had gloves on, Natsu was certain that if he pulled them back, he would have a small red tattoo on the inside of his wrist.

The man whom Natsu was sure a wizard was speaking. He strained his dragon ears to hear what was being said.

"You are no longer Tom Stevens." The man in the black coat said.

"I am no longer Tom Stevens." The robust man repeated in a dream like voice.

"You are now my loyal servant."

"You are now my master." Tom chanted back.

"You will do everything that I say."

"I will do everything that you say." He repeated.

"Good, good." The taller man said, clapping his hands together. "Now that we have that bit out of the way, I would like to introduce myself to you, my new subject."

"Yes, master."

"My name is Fane Delacrow." He said in a lofty, commanding voice. "And I am a Crimson Edge wizard from a world entirely different from this one."

If Natsu had any doubts before that Tom was being hypnotized, they were completely erased when he just nodded at that statement as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Unfortunately, that is only the tip of the iceberg as to who I am. However, I have no intention of further explaining myself to my brainwashed slave." Fane gave a harsh laugh, like he thought what he said was funny. Natsu resisted a hateful growl forming in the back of his throat.

"Yes, master." Tom said.

"I am giving you, Tom a very important mission indeed." Fane Delacrow said, growing serious. "You are one of the pathetic Americans that I have selected to finally capture Lucy Heartfilia."

A jolt was sent straight through Natsu's heart.

"Lucy Heartfilia." Tom repeated slowly.

"Yes I will need her for the revival of the Original Demon very soon. When it is time to capture her, you will know. In the meantime I will gather other humans that are slightly more capable that the rest, just like yourself." He said. "And one more thing, be weary of three Fairy Tail wizards lurking about. I don't know how they were able to follow me here to this world, but one of my other subordinates had an encounter with them. They will be sticking to Lucy like glue. I hear the one with the pink hair is particularly fond of her."

"What are they saying?" Erza prompted quietly.

"They are going to kidnap Lucy." Natsu growled through gritted teeth. He was livid. He was enraged. And that anger resulted directly in flames that began to emulate from his entire body. The whole reason he stopped being friends with Lucy was to protect her. If that evil wizard thought that he was going to harm Lucy in _any_ way, he was dead wrong. Natsu simply wasn't going to let that happen. He was sick of waiting around, taking orders and playing it safe.

He was ready to _fight_.

"He's going down." Natsu growled and charged forward in full blaze. He sprinted down the final stretch of the tunnel at full speed, his sight focused on the Crimson Edge wizard.

"Natsu, STOP!" He heard Erza shout behind him. "You can't."

He didn't pay attention to her warning. His mind was set in a singular mode: save Lucy. He was about to unleash all of the anger that he'd been keeping in for so long and-

Natsu ran into something hard and solid. It was like he crashed into an invisible wall as all of his momentum was stopped and redirected, sending him flying backwards in an unexpected rebound. He landed on the hard floor with a heavy thud.

"What the hell?" He muttered. He didn't understand what happened. At the exact moment that he was about to exit the tunnel and enter the cavern, he ran into what had to be an invisible wall. It was like there was some sort of force field blocking the entrance to the cavern.

"A barrier." Erza breathed out in a mixture of relief and awe. "Now I understand."

Disorientated and slightly dizzy from the collision, Natsu almost didn't hear the parting words between the servant and his master.

"I understand my task, Master."

"Off you go." Fane said, a chuckle still on his lips. "Your presence is beginning to bore me."

"Yes, Master." Tom said and then turned around to leave. He was walking straight towards the tunnel where Natsu, Erza and Happy were hiding.

"He's coming this way." Natsu said, standing up.

"Let's leave now. There is no way we are getting past that barrier right now and we can't be discovered." Erza said.

"Damn it." Natsu cursed under his breath and then following his two friends in retreat.

The three wizards hightailed back through the tunnel, this time keeping it completely dark. They were moving so quickly, the journey back took half the amount of time as it did on the way down.

As they emerged to the surface, Natsu took a deep breath of fresh air. It was way to stuffy down in that cave for his taste. Erza moved the rock back over the opening, making it seem like they were never there before the group of three started to make their way out of the forest as fast as possible.

"I wonder how that servant guy is going to get out of the tunnel with that rock over it." Happy asked. "I mean he seemed strong for the people in this world but…"

"There is probably some pulley or lever system that only they know about." Erza said quickly, not interested by the matter. "Now, what did you hear, Natsu? Am I right to assume that the man in the black trench coat is our wizard?"

"Yup." Natsu said with a nod, revealing his frustration with a voice that was still marred with agitation and anger. "His name is Fane Delacrow and he straight up admitted that he is a wizard from Earthland. At the beginning he was brainwashing the other guy to do everything that he says and then he ordered him to kidnap Lucy and bring her back here. He said he needs her for the revival of that monster thing. He never said when they were going to kidnap Lucy, just that it was going to happen soon. And he knows about us too."

"I figured as much." Erza said thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll both go and fill Gray in on what's happening and then we'll plan our next move out from there."

"Fine, but I still don't get what happened. What was that wall that kept me from kicking Fane's ass tonight?"

"There was a magic barrier at the end of the tunnel. The actual cavern was completely sealed off. Only the one who cast the barrier will be able to lift it."

"Well that seriously sucks." Natsu said.

"But it also explains why we haven't been able to sense any magic power since we got here." Erza said. When Happy and Natsu looked at her in confusion, she clarified. "Didn't you notice how even though we were extremely close to both a wizard and a monster, there still wasn't a hint of magic power in the air?"

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right." Natsu said, thinking back.

"I bet it's because of that barrier. Not only does it keep material things from passing in and out, but it also keeps magic power inside too. Thankfully, it works both ways so I'm fairly certain Fane wasn't able to detect your magic either, Natsu."

"But then how did Mystogan sense it from our world?" Happy asked.

"I can only assume that Mystogan sensed it _before_ the barrier was made or because Fane ventured out of the cavern at some point. It makes sense if you think about it." Erza said. "That's the reason he has to stay inside the cavern and brainwash innocent people to do his dirty work. He probably ventured out of it once and ended up with three wizards on his tail. He's learned his lesson."

"Man I can't wait to kick his butt!" Natsu said, his fists bursting into flames.

"Natsu, put out the fire!" Happy said immediately.

"Not for much longer." Natsu murmured with an eager grin.


	14. Chapter 13: Prom

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Happy New Year! I'm kicking off 2016 strong with this awesome new chapter. Oh, and someone was asking whether or not Natsu and company are able to use magic and the answer is YES, America isn't like Edolas. Anyway, please please keep reviewing and enjoying the story. I hope everyone has a fantastic year.**

Chapter 13

Prom

Lucy looked at herself in the mirror. She normally wasn't picky about the way she looked, but tonight was special. She took a deep breath and smiled at her reflection. She was wearing a light peach gown that flowed effortlessly to the floor. The bodice had a sweetheart neckline that was covered by a fitted sheer lacy fabric studded with silvery jewels, creating a more elegant and angelic visage that accentuated the length of her neck and attractive figure. When she walked, her sparkly silver heels peeked out beneath the silky dress and gave an edge to her look. She wore her blond hair in a fancy up due that her hair stylist, Cancer, designed special for her.

Lucy Heartfilia was ready for prom.

Well with one exception; she was lacking a date. For months now, she had been dreaming about going to the senior dance with Natsu. Thoughts of dancing and laughing with the pink haired boy had actually made her excited to attend, but that simply wasn't an option anymore. She didn't know what to think of him these days. Was he really just messing with her heart the whole time or was there something much more complicated going on?

She was determined to put the whole situation out of her mind for at least the night. Yes, she was going by herself to prom, and yes, the whole school pretty much hated her, but she was still determined to have fun. She had come so close to not going at all, but her mom had talked her out of it, saying that Prom was a crucial experience for all senior girls and she would regret it for the rest of her life if she skipped. Lucy wasn't completely sure she bought that, but the point was she said yes to make her mom happy and she was determined to make the most of it.

She walked down the stairs, feeling nervous for some reason. She smiled when she saw that her parents and Pierre were at the bottom, waiting for her. A little shot of disappointment invaded her heart from the fact that she didn't have a handsome date to accompany her, but she quickly brushed that aside. Family was more important.

"You look absolutely beautiful." Her mom gushed, her smile broad and pearly white. Her father nodded stiffly in agreement. Lucy stifled a giggle upon seeing her dad's discomfort in the situation. Supporting his teenage daughter in these seemingly trivial matters wasn't his forte, but Lucy was grateful for his effort.

"Your mother is right, Miss Lucy." Pierre said warmly. "You look stunning."

"Thank you guys." Lucy blushed.

"Have fun tonight, Lucy." Her mom said warmly, wrapping her daughter up in a tight hug. "I hope it turns into the night of your dreams."

"I will." Lucy said determined.

"Lucy." Her father said, taking a step forward as he cleared his throat. "I know I've put a lot of pressure on you this past year, but I just want you to know that I just want you to be happy. Enjoy your dance."

Lucy smiled and was on the verge of tears. Her father had never spoken to her like that before. With him it was only ever about money and business and until the conversation she had with Pierre the other day, she thought that was because her father didn't respect what she wanted. It warmed her heart to know that her father _did_ care about her and _did_ value her happiness. Business was such a large part of his life that she couldn't blame him for wanting to pass his legacy onto his only daughter. It hadn't taken many words, but the pair had reached an understanding.

"Thank you, dad." She said. "That means the world to me."

"May I escort you out, Miss Lucy?" Pierre said offering her his arm, giving her a knowing smile.

"Yes, thank you." She said, still trying not to cry. "Bye, mom and dad. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, darling." Her mom said, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "Make some wonderful memories for me."

Her dad simply nodded, unable to speak any more words. However, coming from her father, that simple gesture seemed like the warmest hug.

It was a warm, happy moment between parents and their only child. That was why Lucy couldn't explain the feeling of sadness deep inside her chest. They were only saying goodbye for the night, so why did that moment weigh so heavily on her heart?

XXX

"Thank you, Pierre." Lucy said from the back seat in the limo right before she got out.

"It's my pleasure, Lucy." Pierre replied. "For the past ten years it had been my pleasure."

"I'm so lucky to have you." Lucy said, feeling her eyes well up again.

"It is I who has been lucky to have you." He assured her. "Now, get out there and have some fun"

She smiled her best smile at him and then got out of the limo, waving goodbye to him as she stood on the sidewalk by herself. As he drove away, she couldn't quite remember a time that she felt so alone.

 _Time to change that_. Lucy told herself firmly. _Who knows? I might even make some new friends tonight_.

With her head held high, she walked into the fancy five star hotel inside which Martin High was having their prom. She was escorted to the ball room, where all the action was taking place. Prom was already in full swing; teens were dancing far too close to one and other, laughing like there was no tomorrow, and having the time of their lives. Lucy walked in, trying to look at least more confident that she felt.

The lighting was dim in the ball room except for the blinding strobe lights flashing about from above. Lucy walked around the edges of the dance floor, feeling unsure of where she was supposed to go. In the end, she decided to take a seat at one of the tables.

The night passed very slowly. Lucy would alternate between walking around, dancing by herself, and sitting at her table. Feeling absolutely pathetic after doing this for a while, she checked the time and found that only 45 minutes had passed. How much longer before it was appropriate to leave? She wanted her parents to think she had fun so maybe she would stay for about another hour? Or was that too fast?

Anyway, she was getting a lot of odd looks from people seeing her all by herself. It wasn't the most socially acceptable thing to do and being the resident high school pariah, she found herself at the root of much amusement. Nevertheless, she had resolved her issues with the jerks at her high school a long time ago and wasn't bothered much by it at all. Around the hour mark, she decided to prove her indifference by trying to make some friends. She went up to a group of girls sitting around a table and asked if she could join them. They reluctantly said yes, but they quickly made it clear that she was not welcome. Getting the hint, Lucy excused herself to the bathroom and never returned to their table. Next, she found another girl all by herself, except she was crying her eyes out. Ugly smears of mascara were dripping from the thick black rings around her eyes and down her face, leaving streaks of gray on her cheeks. Her prom date must have dumped her or something.

"What's wrong?" Lucy had asked her gently, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Get away from me you bitch!" The girl screamed back at her.

That was strike two at making friends.

Strike three occurred when a boy actually asked her to dance. Lucy was overwhelmed with relief and said yes, but about three minutes into their dance, the boy's date came up to her and cussed her out. Lucy left the couple alone to argue.

Dejected, Lucy went back over to her table and sat down. The night was not going well at all. Lucy let out a deep sigh and then took a sip of the punch. Suddenly, the sharp taste of hard liquor hit her lips.

 _Looks like someone spiked the punch_. Lucy thought. She spit the drink back into her cup and set it on the table.

"Not a fan of the punch?" At first Lucy thought she had hallucinated the voice, but when she looked up she saw that it had come from a real boy. For a heartbeat, her wild imagination caused her to believe it was Natsu, but she quickly realized that this guy's voice was much too deep. And so she looked at this person closer to see who she was dealing with. He wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but he wasn't bad on the eyes either. He had dark hair, warm brown eyes, and a friendly smile.

"I just think the alcohol to fruit juice ratio was a bit off." Lucy said with a laugh.

"Wow, someone who finally agrees with me!" He said as he took a seat next to her.

"We might just be the only two sober people here." She said.

"Whoa, I never said I was sober." The boy joked, holding his hands up defensively. Lucy laughed genuinely for the first time that night. Quickly, however, her smile faded. The boy didn't miss the sad look in her eyes. "Having a rough night?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lucy said, not caring to elaborate. "How about you?"

"Not that great." He said. "My date ditched me to dance with another dude."

"Well I'm sure she'll come back." Lucy assured him.

"That was over an hour ago."

"Oh." She said, her face cracking into another smile. "Then maybe not."

"Yeah." He agreed. "But I'm determined not to let it ruin the night. And then I saw a beautiful girl sitting all by herself and I almost couldn't believe my luck. So what do you say? How about we turn this night around with a dance?"

Lucy continued to grin, thinking _she_ was the lucky one. What were the odds that she would find such a sweet boy here tonight? It was almost like a fairytale, meeting a prince at the ball. So why was she hesitating? She should be jumping at the opportunity. She should be grateful to finally meet someone friendly.

 _Something just doesn't feel right._ She didn't want to but her thoughts immediately went to Natsu. She thought of how good it felt to be in his presence, how her skin tingled when they touched, and how his crooked goofy smile compared to this boy's sweet soft one. She felt another pain in her chest as she wished that she was here with Natsu.

 _You can't be picky, Lucy._ She scolded herself. _Look, this is your golden opportunity to get over Natsu. This could be the best night of your life if you just forget about-_

And the she saw Natsu. Not the imaginary Natsu that constantly danced around in her head, but the real living Natsu that broke her heart. At first she thought she had dreamt the whole thing up, but on closer inspection, she clearly sighted a mop of pink hair that could only belong to one person.

 _What the hell is he doing here?_ Lucy thought instantly, but when she looked closer she saw that… Natsu was pinning Gordon Ronald against a wall! She blinked once to be sure of what she was witnessing, but there Natsu was, with Gordon's shirt crumpled in his fists as he held the bully against some very elegant wallpaper.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lucy murmured and then clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized she said that out loud.

"Well if you didn't want to-" The brown haired boy began to say, hurt showing on his face.

"No I do want to dance with you! I was talking about something else!" Lucy said quickly. Then she started improvising wildly. "There's a stain on my dress. I must have gotten punch on it! Let me go clean it off in the bathroom and then I can take you up on that dance!"

"Sounds good." The boy said, looking very pleased. "I'll wait for you here."

Lucy nodded and then hurried off through the crowd to where Natsu was. Getting closer, she saw that Natsu was hissing angry words at Gordon's face as the wrestler's toes were barely scraping the floor from his compromised position. Natsu looked as angry as she had ever seen him.

"Natsu, what the hell are you doing?!" Lucy shrilled. Natsu turned around and had an 'oh crap' expression when he saw her.

"Might be best just to go back to the dance floor, Luce. I got things under control here." Natsu said and then he winked at her. He had the nerve to wink at her! And why was he calling her 'Luce' again? Even though hearing her nickname sent a familiar shiver down her spine, he had no right!

"Why are you even here?" She said angrily. "Don't tell me it's to beat up Gordon again!"

"You really think that lowly of me, huh?" Natsu said, his tone surprisingly soft. Then he shook his head. "Well, I guess I don't blame yah, but seriously, you should just leave this alone."

"Leave it alone?" Lucy yelled back furiously. "I've tried to just leave it alone! I've tried to just forget about you but then you show up at my prom and beat up one of the students! How am I supposed to just leave that alone?"

Natsu was about to say something back when Gordon started to make a noise, but it didn't sound anything like his usual self. His eyes were emotionless and his face without expression. It was like he was in some sort of trance.

"I will take Lucy. I will bring her to my master. She will die…" Gordon chanted, as if Lucy wasn't standing right in front of him.

"Is he drunk?" Lucy said, confused. That was the only semi-logical explanation. He was making no sense.

"Yeah, let's go with that." Natsu said, nodding his head viciously.

"You still aren't telling me what is going on." Lucy reminded him, channeling her anger on the pink haired boy. Absentmindedly, she noticed that Natsu was wearing a tux. It was prom, but somehow it caught her off guard. He looked so good…

"Me and Ronaldo are just catching up." He replied easily with a cheeky smile.

"Stop lying to me!" Lucy shouted, forgetting about how handsome Natsu looked in a heartbeat.

"Can you just close your eyes for like five seconds?" Natsu pleaded.

"NO!" Lucy shot back.

"Fine, but I warned you." Natsu answered back begrudgingly.

Natsu pulled his fist back and then let it explode forward to punch Gordon square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

"What was that for?!"

"Trust me it's for his own good."

Then he grabbed the large wrestler, slugging his 200 plus pound body over his shoulder and carried him to a storage closet along the side of the ball room. Natsu opened the closet and dumped Gordon inside. The pink haired boy grabbed some rope from inside the storage room and tied the larger boy's hands and feet together. Then Natsu shut the door, leaving Gordon inside.

Lucy just watched in disbelief.

"What are you? Some sort of serial killer?" Lucy said, her eyes fierce with rage. What the heck was he playing at?

Natsu didn't get a chance to answer. Suddenly, a small blue cat came bursting through the crowed, breathing heavily as though he'd been running for a long time. Natsu's eyes lit up in shock, although Lucy couldn't blame him. This was Happy, Natsu's pet cat, so how the heck did he get here?

Even stranger, Natsu bent down low enough so that the cat could whisper in his ear.

 _No that's not right_. Lucy scolded herself, shaking her head _. Cats can't whisper… can they?_ Because it looked a whole lot like Happy was moving his jaw, as if he was forming words.

Suddenly, Natsu stood up, a whole new expression on his face. It was hard and solid, void of any humor it used to have.

"I'm sorry, Luce but I don't have time to do this right now." Natsu said urgently, looking her straight in the eyes. Lucy saw the truth in them. For once he wasn't lying. "I got to go help out my friends. I promise I'll find you after I've finished and you can yell at me all you want, but I don't know when that's going to be. Please, please, please, just promise me that you'll stay here. I swear this is really important."

"I promise." Lucy said quietly, unsure of what to think. Things were happening so fast. She didn't know how she should be responding to any of it.

"Thank you." Natsu said. To Lucy's surprise he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. It was fast and abrupt, but Lucy's skin felt like it was on fire just from the brief touch. Natsu had run away, closely followed by his cat before he could see her blush.

Lucy was now more confused than ever, but there was one thing at that moment she knew without a doubt. The way he spoke to her, the way he kissed her on the cheek, and the look in his eyes during their brief encounter, told her one thing. Natsu lied about their whole relationship being fake. That revelation didn't take away her underlying anger, but it did renew her desire for the truth. Something else was going on and she was going to find out what.

For a moment she thought about the sweet brown eyed boy she was about to leave behind, but Lucy knew she was doing the right thing. She had to find out the truth.

 _Sorry, Natsu, but you're not the only one who can lie._

XXX

Picking up her skirts, Lucy hurried out of the ball room, trying her best to keep up with Natsu's quick pace. Vaguely she wondered how she was supposed to follow him if he got in a car or something, but her question was quickly answered when Natsu raided a bicycle rack outside the hotel. To Lucy's disbelief, he stole it and began to peddle away fiercely.

Unable to believe what she was about to do, Lucy ripped off her heels and stole a bike as well. She probably looked absolutely ridiculous riding her bike in a prom dress, but she honestly didn't care. She felt wild and free as the cold wind brushed against her face, causing her peach dress to flutter wildly in its wake. Despite the circumstances, despite having just committed a felony, Lucy smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this _good_.

She still had to focus, though. Natsu was way ahead of her and she was starting to lose sight of him. Boy, could that kid bike fast. Eventually, Lucy lost him completely. She couldn't tell which road he had turned down or where he was headed. Her high was starting to wear down. She had no idea where she was and her only mode of transportation was a bike. She tried to look around for places where Natsu might have gone but she was completely lost, right in the middle of nowhere.

Trying not to go into a full out panic mode, Lucy stopped pedaling and pulled her phone out of the small clutch purse she was carrying.

It was dead.

"Great." Lucy groaned. What was she going to do now? Her only hope was to somehow locate Natsu…

"Are you doing okay young lady?" A middle aged woman who was walking her dog stopped by Lucy along the side of the street. She knew she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers but-

"Have you seen a pink haired boy in a tux riding a bike anywhere?" Lucy asked desperately. To her surprise the lady let out a laugh.

"As a matter of fact, I have." She said and Lucy could not believe her luck. "I was walking my dog in the forest about a mile up when I saw him racing through on his bike."

"Thank you so much!" Lucy said breathlessly. Feeling hopeful again, she got back onto her stolen bike and sped off towards the forest.

Thanks to the bike, she reached the forest in no time at all. Deciding that she better not try to navigate her bike through all the trees and shrubbery, she discarded it and chose to go on foot.

Lucy didn't know what had possessed her. She didn't think she was the type of girl to steal a bike and venture barefoot into a forest by herself, but Natsu always made her crazy.

 _Or maybe he just brings out the crazy in me_. A little voice said in the back of her head.

The point was that Lucy, a 17 year old girl was wondering through the forest all by herself in the middle of the night. She had no idea what time it was other than that it was very late. She started to think maybe this wasn't such a good idea. What was she saying, of course this wasn't a good idea! This was just about the worst idea she has ever had.

 _So why does it feel like I'm doing the right thing?_

Her determination to find the truth welled up inside of her again. She was going to finally understand what was going through Natsu's head all this time. She didn't care what it took. Yes, she was probably going to scare her parents half to death and yes, they were going to be very angry with her tomorrow, but it would all be worth it.

She had said before that she wanted to have adventures like the characters in her books. She smiled a little bit. If this wasn't an adventure she didn't know what was.

Then she heard a twig snap. Was someone else there? Her heart started to pound faster and faster.

"Who's there?" She called out, hoping more than anything that Natsu would answer her.

But there was only silence.

Lucy tried to slow her breathing, she was probably just hearing things. She almost wanted to laugh at how cliché she must have sounded, calling out to no one in the middle of the woods. She shook her head at the irony. She had always scolded the characters in horror movies for wondering off to dangerous places in the middle of the night by themselves and here she was, doing the same exact thing.

"Good thing this isn't a movie." Lucy whispered to herself.

"It's about to get a whole lot worse darling."

An electric jolt traveled through Lucy's entire body, paralyzing her on the spot. She prayed that it was just her imagination that created the voice that rang out behind her.

Her prayers went unanswered.

She turned around to find a man standing about four yards away from her, menacing in his tall and bulky stature. Instinct told her he wasn't here to help her find her way out. She wanted to say something brave, like the heroes in her novels. Whenever she read or wrote she always had a bunch of one liners at the ready for any situation. But at the moment, fear took any words she might have had straight out of her mouth.

"Anyone ever tell you it's not safe to wonder the woods at night?" A different voice rang out from her right. There was another man. Two of them now.

"Master was right." A third voice said from her left. "Poor little Lucy's left all alone."

Slowly, more and more male figures emerged from the shadows to completely surround her from every angle. She couldn't bring herself to count how many. She couldn't bring herself to think much of anything. Dread captivated her soul as a terrifying prophecy came to pass. The only words that were running through her head came from Gordon Ronald of all people…

 _I will take Lucy. I will bring her to my master. She will die._

Was this it? Was she really going to die? The men started to close in on her, inching towards her with eager smirks etched across shadowy faces. She whirled around back and forth, searching for an escape path, but there was no way out.

 _She will die._

The circle enclosing her became smaller and smaller with every footstep. Lucy could no longer breathe. Tears welled up around her eyes.

 _She will die._

They were only a few feet away. They were smiling, close enough for her to see the crazed looks in their eyes. This was the end.

 _I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry Pierre._

A hand was reaching out for her neck. She closed her eyes.

 _Natsu…_

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

That voice was her salvation. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see a blur of pink flash in front of her, fending off all of her attackers.

Natsu was here.

A tear trickled down her cheek.

The gang of men backed away from the two of them. She had no idea why the presence of another teenager would cause them to stop whatever they were about to do to her, but she didn't care at the moment. All she could do was gaze in relief at her savior. He looked pretty rough himself. He had discarded the jacket of the tux he had been wearing earlier and the left sleeve of the white shirt beneath it was ripped off, exposing a bloody gash on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Luce." Natsu said quietly to her. Even though Lucy was still standing behind him, Natsu didn't turn around to look at her. His eyes were concentrated on the enemy. Somehow in the moment he had appeared, Natsu managed to escape the encirclement of men. Now they were all clustered in a make shift semi-circle in front of him. Lucy felt slightly safer with no one at her back and even safer with Natsu at her front.

Even though it would all be in vain. She may feel safer now, but it was all just an illusion. Even if Natsu was stronger than most, this wasn't a high school fight anymore. These weren't over grown teenagers, these men were serious. Able to think more clearly now, she counted them. The total came up to a little over twenty and they all were ripped and muscular, probably straight out of the marines or army. And Lucy didn't fail to notice the guns strapped to their hips.

Why did Natsu come? Now they both were going to die. And she would be responsible for his death…

"No" Lucy whispered back to him. "It's my fault."

"How can it be your fault?" Natsu said confused. The tone of his voice changed drastically. It was totally casual, like they weren't facing their deaths. He turned around to look at her. Lucy was shocked to see not an ounce of fear on his face.

"I shouldn't have followed you." She whispered.

"Eh, don't worry about it!" He said cheerfully. "I would have done the same thing. I'm just happy I found you in time. I was just apologizing for not getting to yah sooner."

"What?" Lucy echoed in disbelief. She had no idea what was going on. They were about to die. Didn't Natsu get that? They were outnumbered by men with _guns_.

"I said don't worry about it, Luce. Now if you don't mind I gotta have a chat with my buddies here." Natsu said then spun back around to face the gang.

"Leave now." Natsu ordered them. "I know you aren't in your right minds, so I don't want to hurt you."

"How is he here?" One of the men said to another. "Master said the girl would be alone."

"What do we do? We never got orders for this."

"I said leave now!" Natsu said louder. "You haven't made me mad yet so this is your chance to leave. Do it while you still can. Trust me, you don't want to see me angry."

"Natsu what are you doing?" Lucy said in horror. Why was he provoking them? They hadn't tried to kill them yet so why was Natsu trying to order them around? How was he not freaking out? What the hell is going on? They keep mentioning this 'Master'? Does Natsu know?

Natsu ignored her for the moment. He was still staring down the group of men.

"Now!" One of the largest men called out. It was a signal. At the same time, all of the men reached into their belt and pulled out… bombs?! They all threw them at once, directly towards Natsu and Lucy. Lucy screamed, but she was unable to close her eyes.

"Big mistake." She thought she heard Natsu spit.

She felt a dull pain in her side. Natsu had shoved her out of the way. Her body bounded backwards with intense force. When she landed on the dirt she was outside the bombs' range, but Natsu hadn't moved an inch.

The bombs exploded into fiery blasts of smoke and flame, bursting out with a horrible banging noise. The night was lit up harshly by the fire and Lucy felt the heat of it evaporate her tears. Natsu was left right in the middle of the explosion. Lucy let out another high pitched scream. He was dead.

As horrifying and unbelievable that moment was, the next shocked Lucy even more. The flames stated to move. They thinned and started to spiral around one point at the center of the explosion. Natsu was still there. He was standing, perfectly unscathed. The flames traveled in loose lines towards in mouth and then were sucked down into his throat. The only noise in the clearing was a gentle slurping sound.

Natsu _ate_ the flames.

Lucy's brown eyes were wide, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing. Her mouth hung open as she finished watching Natsu suck in every last speck of fire. Licking his lips, the boy wore a smile on his face.

"Thanks for the grub." He said. "It's been a while since I've had this big of a fire in my belly."

The men were in a shock equal to Lucy's. They were frozen stiff in fear. They were only human and clearly, they were facing something so much more.

"You should have listened to my warning." Natsu said, dropping into a lethal, serious tone. "I gave you a chance to leave and then you put Lucy in danger. You're going to regret that."

"Wha-what do we do?" One of the men stammered, taking a step backwards.

Another man pulled out his gun. Despite what she had just seen, Lucy still gasped in fear. The man pointed the gun directly and Natsu and fired.

"Idiot." Natsu said.

Another fire was lit in the forest, but it didn't come from any bomb. It was Natsu's fist. Somehow, in some ridiculous messed up way, his fist was on fire. And it wasn't burning him. No, Lucy got some ungrounded idea that Natsu _chose_ to lite his fist on fire. And then, Natsu punched the speeding bullet with his fiery fist, incinerating the shot with a loud crack.

"No way." Lucy mouthed, her eyes still glued to Natsu from her place on the ground.

"Lucy wasn't supposed to see any of this." Natsu said, walking slowly and deliberately towards the gang, acting like what he just did was nothing. "I didn't want to show her any of this, but you gave me no choice. And now I'm angry."

"We didn't mean to-"

"Please, spare us-"

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu roared over all the pleading and cowering. Two streams of bright red fire erupted from each of Natsu's arms, creating whips of flame that slashed out at the gang of men. They screamed as the attack hit them in full force. They were knocked backwards from the sheer force of the flames, skidding and rolling along the forest floor. Not a single one regained consciousness after the blow.

Natsu let out a breath.

"Pushovers." He spat. "I said you didn't want to see me angry."

Lucy was still quivering in fear from her spot on the ground. She hadn't blinked once since Natsu engulfed the flames.

 _What the hell did I just see?_

She didn't understand. She didn't understand any of it. What did Natsu just do? What was he?

Questions overwhelmed her mind. Her brain couldn't even being to contemplate answers. Maybe this was all just a dream. It had to all just be a dream.

 _I can't- I can't-_

Natsu turned around and tilted his head when he looked at her shivering on the ground.

"You okay, Luce?"

Lucy felt a sudden lightness in her brain and a blanket of black began to drop over her eyes. She welcomed it as she collapsed into the darkness.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Well, this chapter was just so big, I had to put in TWO author's notes! I know a lot of you have been waiting for the moment when Lucy finally learns Natsu's secret and now that the time has come, I want to know what you think about the reveal. Are you happy? Sad? Shocked? Disappointed? Pumped? Let me know what you think in your reviews. Secondly, this chapter probably left you asking a lot of questions and don't worry, you will find out much more about what really happened during Lucy's prom night next chapter where we will see things from Natsu's perspective. That's about it for now! The next chapter will be up before you know it. Stay awesome.**


	15. Chapter 14: Black Hole Magic

Chapter 14

Black Hole Magic

 _XX Earlier that Night XX_

Currently, with only three days left before they would have to return home to Fairy Tail, Natsu was on Lucy watch duty again and since Lucy was at prom, he needed to be as well. Wanting to go unnoticed by Lucy and the rest of his old classmates, Natsu mostly hid in the corner of the ball room while tapping his foot along to the loud music and watching people dance. It was pretty boring and normally that wouldn't bother him, but ever since they found that underground cavern, Natsu had wanted to storm back in there and take that monster thing head on, so it was frustrating to be sitting still at something as mundane as a high school dance. Gray and Erza got the fun job. Gray was staked out at the above ground entrance to the cavern, watching to see who was coming in and out. Meanwhile, Erza was still trying to track down any of Fane's followers, see what they were doing and perhaps track them back to the cavern. In order to get back into the cavern and speak to their master, the cronies would have to pass through that annoying barrier and when they did, the Fairy Tail wizards would be ready to follow them in and take down the bad guy for good. It would all be over soon.

Natsu was itching to fight that one creepy jerk. He called himself Fane Delacrow and Natsu already hated his guts. He was using innocent people to get what he wanted. Even though, Natsu wasn't sure why he wanted to revive what he called "The Original Demon", the fire wizard was sure that it was for nothing good. Natsu was sure that ugly monster thing would make a good fight, but even he wasn't eager to throw down with it. Just looking at its dormant version sent chills down his spine. He would settle for beating up Fane and preventing the demon from being brought to life at all. That guy must be powerful if he was hoping to awaken something as large as that monster. It would feel good to smack that evil smirk off his face, but what angered Natsu the most about him was that he wanted to kidnap Lucy and use her in his screwed up plot. Natsu would protect her. He wasn't going let the evil wizard touch a single hair on her pretty head.

Stealing a glance towards the table where Lucy was sitting, Natsu saw that she was talking to some tall dude with short fuzzy hair and dirt brown eyes. He could smell the guy's stench from over here; it vaguely reminded him of pepper. Lucy smiled at him warmly. The pink haired boy remembered when she used to smile at him like that. Already, Natsu didn't like the guy. Something just wasn't sitting right in his stomach.

Just when he was about to lose control and go over there himself, Natsu caught another scent in the air. This one smelled even worse and was easily recognizable.

It was that chubby bully. He was standing a little ways away, sulking by himself with an ugly look on his face.

 _What's his name again?_ Natsu thought to himself. _Garbanzo? Ronaldo? Gornaldo?_

That train of thought was quickly abandoned when Natsu realized that the wrestler was staring straight at Lucy. His eyes were blank and absent of any emotion. His arms were held stiff at his sides, but Natsu clearly remembered that he was the sort of person who would swing them back and forth all the time. His head was lowered and was avoiding contact with anyone. He began to walk towards the blonde girl who was too engrossed in her conversation with pepper boy to notice.

Natsu's protective instincts kicked in. He crossed the ball room in the blink of an eye and stood right in front of the wrestler, blocking his path to Lucy.

"Haven't you bothered Lucy enough?" Natsu said to him, trying not to raise too much of a ruckus yet.

"Lucy Heartfilia." Gordon drawled slowly. His voice had changed from the last time Natsu spoke with him. And there was something different about his scent. It had a hint of forest in it. "I must capture Lucy Heartfilia."

A jolt surged through Natsu's body. He pulled his lips back in an angry growl. Realization hit Natsu like a ton of bricks. So Fane brainwashed this chump too. This must have been his plan, to capture Lucy during Prom where no one would notice. He chose Gordon as his pawn because he needed a strong Martin student who would be able to get inside the ball room. It was a brilliant scheme. No one would notice Lucy's disappearance from a place so chaotic and crowded.

In the back of his mind, Natsu knew that none of this was Gordon's fault, but the dragon slayer was never one to hide his emotions. He was angry and wanted answers.

Natsu grabbed Gordon by the collar of his shirt and pinned him up against the wall.

"Alright, pal, you are going to give me some answers!" Natsu roared without restraint, knowing that the noise level of the dance would prevent his voice from being heard. "What are you planning to do with Lucy? What role does she play in resurrecting the demon and why does it have to be her?"

"Master keeps his secrets to himself." Gordon replied pleasantly. "I am merely his faithful servant."

"You must know something!" Natsu yelled back, piercing the brainwashed boy with a fierce glare. "Tell me now or I'll beat it out of you!"

"Trying to save her is futile." He chanted back calmly. "Master always gets what he wants."

Natsu lifted Gordon off the wall slightly and then banged him back into it.

"This is your last warning!"

"The girl must die."

Even though the heavy music still blared, that moment brought a thick silence to Natsu's ears. His face softened and his mouth hung open for a moment. He didn't know what to think.

"What." He replied breathlessly.

"The girl must be sacrificed to bring back the demon." Gordon said. "It is the only way."

A fire started to burn in Natsu's stomach. He banged Gordon against the wall again.

"Like hell I'm going to let that happen!" Natsu roared. He just gave him another blank look.

"Natsu, what the hell are you doing!"

 _Damn it._ Natsu thought. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Lucy must have spotted him

He glanced over his shoulder and sure enough, Lucy was storming up to him looking very angry. Still, Natsu couldn't help but noticed how beautiful she looked close up. Especially tonight it seemed like her skin was glowing with a sheer radiance that was only outmatched by the golden strands of her hair picking up and reflecting all of the brilliance the low lighting had to offer. With much difficulty, he forced a calmer expression onto his face. Somehow, he had to try to cover up what was going on here.

"Might be best to go back to the dance floor, Luce." He said, even winking at her to appear casual. "I got things under control here."

"Why are you even here?" The anger in her voice didn't relent. "Don't tell me it's to beat up Gordon again."

Natsu tried to convince her to just leave it alone, but she retaliated in a way that was so painstakingly like her.

"Leave it alone?" Lucy yelled back furiously. "I've tried to just leave it alone! I've tried to just forget about you but then you show up at my prom and beat up one of the students! How am I supposed to just leave that alone?"

Her words cut him like a knife. She was so right. He hated the way she thought of him and would do anything to change it. He tried to search for words that would somehow make the situation better, but there were none that he was allowed to speak.

"I will take Lucy. I will bring her to my master. She will die."

Damn it. Natsu repeated. Lucy was definitely not supposed to hear that. How was he going to explain this to her?

"Is he drunk?"

"Yeah let's go with that."

Thankfully, Lucy looked confused but she wasn't too creeped out yet. Still this was Lucy and she wasn't about to give up the fight.

"You still aren't telling me what is going on."

"Me and Ronaldo are just catching up." He replied, faking a smile.

"Stop lying to me!" She shouted and another stab of guilt went through him.

"Can you just close your eyes for like five seconds?" Natsu pleaded. He would have to deal with Lucy later. Right now the most important thing was dealing with Gordon and he would prefer if she didn't see-

"NO!" Lucy yelled.

"Fine, but I warned you." Natsu answered back begrudgingly. He was sick and tired of beating around the bush. He would just have to explain this later to Lucy somehow…

Natsu pulled his fist back and then let it explode forward to punch Gordon square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

"What was that for?!" She shrieked.

"Trust me it's for his own good." And it actually was. On top of being an arrogant bully, the last thing Gordon needed on his resume was 'kidnapper'. He easily picked up Gordon and threw him into an empty storage closet. He had to make sure he wouldn't be able to get to Lucy for at least until they found something better to do with him. He tied up his hands and feet and closed the door.

When he turned around, Lucy was wearing a sickened, shocked look on her face. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

"What are you? Some sort of serial killer?" Lucy said, angrily. Natsu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If only she knew that he just saved her life.

Then his eyes spotted a flash of blue. It was Happy! But what was he doing here? He was supposed to be watching the cavern with Gray, wait dis that mean-

Natsu bent down so that Happy could whisper in his ear.

"Natsu! Erza and Gray got into the Cavern." His little buddy said quietly. "They are fighting Fane right now. They wanted me to tell you, but they don't want you coming to help. They said need you to stay and protect Lucy!"

It was hard for Natsu not to protest right then and there. He realized that it would look weird if her were to start yelling at a cat, but still. How was he supposed to just sit around while Erza and Gray were risking their lives? He wasn't going to be left out! He snuck a quick glance at Lucy. The only problem was that he would be leaving her all alone. Even if he told Happy to stay with her, it wasn't like he could protect her if someone tried to kidnap her.

But he _had_ already taken out the person who was trying to take her tonight. As long as Lucy stayed here, she would be safe. All this took only half a moment to flash through Natsu's mind, but for the rash wizard who always acted on first instinct, it was actually a good amount of strategy time.

"I'm sorry, Luce but I don't have time to do this right now." Natsu said urgently, looking her straight in the eyes. "I got to go help out my friends. I promise I'll find you after I've finished and you can yell at me all you want, but I don't know when that's going to be. Please, please, please, just promise me that you'll stay here. I swear this is really important."

He hoped with all his might that she would believe him and do as he asked. He felt guilty for leaving her, but this was something he had to do. He couldn't leave Erza and Gray to face such a powerful foe all alone. They were his friends. They were his _family._ He wasn't going to let them fight such a dangerous battle without him.

"I promise." Lucy said quietly and Natsu breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank you." Natsu said. He didn't know what possessed him, but he just allowed his instincts to take over as he bent down to quickly kiss Lucy on the cheek. He wasn't sure why, he just knew that it felt right.

The next moment he turned around and sprinted out of the ballroom with Happy hot on his tail. He could tell that his little friend was not happy with him and was biting his tongue until they got out of hearing range from all the other people.

As Natsu burst out of the hotel front doors, he quickly scanned the area for fast methods of transportation. His stomach began to flip as he realized he would have to get in some sort of moving vehicle.

Then his eyes spotted a bike. Did that qualify as a moving vehicle if he himself was powering it?

Deciding to take his chances, Natsu grabbed the bike and started to peddle away, trying not to think about his queasy stomach. Happy situated himself on the handle bars of the bike and turned around so that he could look at Natsu as they traveled.

"What are you doing, Natsu!" Happy said, looking terrified. "Erza said that you shouldn't come to help!"

"You know I can't just let them battle Fane on their own!" Natsu answered back, his eyes focused on the road ahead. He was going as fast as he could without appearing too superhuman to anyone who spotted him. It was frustrating, but Natsu just hoped that he would still make it in time.

"But what about Lucy?!" Happy shouted back over the wind.

"She'll be okay. I told her to stay at the dance and since I already took out Fane's follower who was there to kidnap her, she's safe."

"But what if she leaves?"

"Then Fane will be too focused on our fight to make any moves for her."

"I don't like this Natsu…"

"It will be okay Happy." Natsu assured him. "Now tell me more about what's going on at the cavern."

"Erza followed one of Fane's followers back to the cavern. The barrier was lifted as he entered and Gray and Erza followed close behind. They knocked out the lackey and then questioned Fane, but he didn't say anything we don't already know. They were about to start their attack when Erza told me to go tell you what was happening."

"I understand." Natsu said.

"Please be careful, Natsu." Happy said so quietly that if it were for Natsu's enhanced hearing, he would have been able to distinguish the words over the roar of the wind. "After we got inside the barrier we were able to sense Fane's magic power. It's crazy how strong he is. I've never sensed anything like it. Its pure evil."

"I don't care how strong he is." Natsu said. "I'm going to teach him that messing with Lucy was the biggest mistake he's ever made."

XXX

Erza was breathing hard. Her chest heaved, desperate for air, and her legs felt like they were about to give out from beneath her at any second.

She looked at Gray beside her and he was in an even worse condition. He was slowly trying to stand up again after taking a big hit. His body was bruised and bleeding all over and Erza was sure that hers was too.

Nevertheless, she turned to face their enemy.

Fane Delacrow wore a sick smile on his face. He wasn't even out of breath and despite the Fairy Tail wizard's best efforts, there wasn't a scratch on his body. He was stronger than any other mage Erza had fought in the past and his magic was something else entirely.

He called it Black Hole magic. Somehow he was able to create empty voids in the air and ground. All he had to do was extend his hand and a pitch black sphere would appear. Whatever was occupying that space before Fane disappeared and a black hole took its place. The two wizards didn't know much about black holes, just that whatever goes inside never comes back out.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray shouted as he pounded his fist into an open hand. Deadly sharp spears of ice shot forward at Fane, who didn't look impressed at all.

"How pathetic." He drawled as the attack sped towards him. He raised a hand and a black circle appeared in front of him suddenly, acting as a shield. As the ice lances passed through the black hole, they disappeared entirely.

"How does he do that?" Gray growled in frustration.

 _We need a diversion._ Erza thought to herself. _That is the only way to defeat him._

"Gray, keep attacking." Erza ordered, forming a plan in her battle sharpened mind.

"But nothing seems to work on this bastard."

"Keep trying. We have no other option." Erza told him steadily. In the brief moment where their eyes connected, Gray understood that she had a plan.

"Right." Gray said, trusting her completely.

"Ice-Make: Arrows!" Gray shouted, springing into action. Over a thousand arrows shot at Fane, but he merely made the black shield larger, causing the arrows to vanish as they passed through its threshold.

Knowing that his attack would never reach its target, Gray transitioned smoothly into his next move.

"Ice-Make: Geyser!" He shouted and a giant mountain of ice surged up from the floor beneath Fane, but he merely expanded his Black Hole magic to encompass the geyser, consuming it completely. Sensing an opening, Gray formed an icy sword in his hands and ran to Fane's blind spot, hoping to catch him off guard. He lunged with the sword at his enemy, but Fane turned around in time to block the sword with his bare hands.

"You didn't _really_ think that was going to work, did you?" Fane said with almost a look of pity on his face. Gray scowled.

"It didn't need to."

"Photon Slicer!" Erza suddenly appeared from behind, catching Fane completely off guard. She was wearing her Morning Star armor and had her two sabers pointed directly at Fane. Her face was fierce yet calm as the blast of energy engulfed Fane in a fiery explosion.

A loud bang echoed throughout the cavern as Erza and Gray jumped away from the blast. They watched anxiously as the smoke cleared.

"Did you get him?" Gray asked quietly, breathing heavier than before.

"I don't know." Erza answered back quietly. If her attack didn't make contact, then she didn't know how she was going to continue the fight on such low reserves of magic power. Absently, she wished Natsu was here. If the three of them took on Fane together, they might have a shot of winning. But beyond that more logical reason, she wished Natsu was here in this seemingly hopeless situation because he always made the impossible seem within reach.

"Impressive." A voice sounded from the clearing smoke. Both Gray and Erza's hearts dropped. "You almost got me there."

Once the smoke had completely vanished, a large black sphere was visible. When it disappeared, Fane appeared from inside it, completely unscathed. Gray gritted his teeth while Erza narrowed her eyes. This wizard was able to work _fast_.

"Got any other plans?" Gray muttered to Erza.

"To be honest, no." She admitted. Gray chuckled sarcastically.

"We're so screwed."

"You are indeed. You Fairy Tail wizards haven't a prayer of defeating me." Fane said devilishly. "All your efforts will be in vain. Lucy Heartfilia will be mine and the Original Demon will be awakened."

"Why do you even want to wake up this demon?" Erza asked the question not because she was naïve enough to hope that she would receive an answer, but because she needed time to catch her breath and think about her next move.

"That is something that I will keep to myself." Fane said with a laugh.

"We will stop you." Gray spat, his voice sounding much too confident for their current situation. "That's a promise."

"One you will be unable to keep, I'm afraid."

The wizards fell silent for a moment, bracing themselves for the next round. Then, quietly but unmistakably, they heard footsteps. Erza glanced towards the tunnel entrance.

"Do you hear that?" Gray asked.

"Looks like we have a visitor." Fane smiled, unsurprised. "Any guesses on who?"

"Natsu." Erza whispered.

"No. We told that idiot to-" Gray started to say but then was cut off by a certain pink haired wizard bursting in through the entrance. Apparently the magic barrier had not been recast.

"DANE FELLACROW!" Natsu shouted at the top of his voice. He opened his mouth and shot out a steady stream of flame at the dark man, who dodged it easily. "Get ready for the fight of your life! Here I come!"

"Natsu, wait!" Erza called out to him before he could do anything too rash.

"Oh hey, Erza." He said, stopping in his tracks. He looked at Gray and then stifled a giggle. "Man, do you look beat up."

"Shut up, Lava Breath." Gray spat, but his heart wasn't really in it.

"What are you doing here, Natsu?" Erza asked. A part of her was relieved to see Natsu here, but the other part knew that he shouldn't be. "You are supposed to be looking after Lucy."

"I tried to stop him!" Happy piped up, looking slightly annoyed that no one had acknowledged his arrival. "But he wouldn't listen."

"Idiot." Gray scoffed.

"Lucy's fine! I stopped the lackey who was trying to kidnap Lucy at the prom so she's still there safe and sound. I thought it was more important to come here and help you guys stop this guy once and for all. And by the looks of it you could use my help."

Out of nowhere, Fane burst into laughter. It was a sick, high pitched cackle that sent chills down the spines of the Fairy Tail wizards.

"What you laughing at, pal?" Natsu growled at him.

"I merely find it amusing how naïve you are. Do you really think that I would only send one measly human to capture Lucy at her High School prom? How simple do you take me to be, Dragneel?"

"What do you mean?" Erza said, not giving the dragon slayer a chance to answer.

"I mean that you sorry excuses for wizards fell for the most basic of traps. Come now, Erza. Surely you must have figured it out by now."

Erza closed her eyes for a moment. She shot them back open as realization hit her. They had fallen for his trap. As they were speaking right now, Lucy was alone and completely unprotected. And Fane had set it up to be that way. He lured her and Gray down here so that they'd be out of the picture while he sent Natsu into a fake sense of security by sending a decoy to 'capture' Lucy at her prom. But that was never the goal. His plan was to get all of them down here while his other subordinates captured Lucy from above.

"All this time Gray and I were staked out at the entrance to the cavern." Erza said quietly. "You knew we were there."

"Of course I did." Fane said, pleased that Erza had figured it out. "It was all too simple to have my minions enter and exit my cavern from the back entrance."

"You only sent one in through the front when you wanted us to follow." Erza said in understanding.

"I don't get it." Gray said. "What's going on?"

"It was all a trap." Erza said. "He tricked us all into being down here while his other followers are going to capture Lucy."

"What?!" Natsu shouted. "I thought Lucy was safe! He tried to take her but I stopped him!"

"You only stopped the decoy." Erza said, shaking her head in guilt. How did she not see this coming? "I imagine another gang of his slaves are after her as we speak."

"Then we will just have to wait until they bring her back here." Gray reasoned. "They won't kill her because they need her to awaken the demon, right? If we defeat Fane, then we can just take Lucy back."

"Ah, I see we've hit another snag in you logic." Fane said, looking happy. "On the off chance that I am defeated, I have already given my men orders to kill the girl on the spot. That puts you in a difficult situation, doesn't it?"

"You bastard." Gray said with a scowl.

"I'll save Lucy." Natsu said. "I'll go save her while you two hold him off."

"Right." Erza said nodding her head. "Go now."

"See yah, good luck!" Natsu shouted as he began to sprint back for the exit.

"Not so fast." Fane said. "Black Hole Magic: Solid Entity."

Another pitch black substance was formed from Fane's hand, but this time it was a beam of a dark substance, extending straight towards Natsu's back. Gray and Erza tried to reach him in time, but they were too late.

"Look out!" Erza screamed. Hearing her, Natsu spun around and saw the blackness surging towards him. He tried to dodge it, but the attack hit the side of his left bicep.

Natsu screamed. The paint that erupted in his arm was unreal. The blackness felt fiery hot and icy cold all at the same time, but all he could really feel was pain. His skin was seared off, leaving a bloody wound in its wake.

"You didn't think I would actually let you leave, did you?" Fane said with a laugh. "The fun's only just beginning."

"What the hell was that stuff?" Natsu said, touching his wound cautiously.

"It's his Black Hole Magic." Erza answered, relieved that Natsu didn't get the full brunt of the attack. "So far I've seen it work in two ways. The first is that it can create spaces in which nothing exists, making your attacks disappear if they touch it. In other words it literally makes a black hole. The second way is for offense. If the blackness touches you, it's highly lethal."

"Well that sucks." Natsu said, brushing off his pain.

"Yes, my magic is very powerful, isn't it?"

"Sorry, but that's not what I meant, pal. It sucks because this is the first time that I've gotten hurt trying to leave a fight. How embarrassing is that?"

"You insolent little-"

"Erza, Gray, let's go. I'm gunna need a distraction to get out of here without this jerk interfering."

"You got it." Gray said.

"One distracting, coming right up." Erza agreed. "Requip: Flight Armor!"

Erza's body began to glow for a brief moment and when the light cleared she was in her light weight armor that allowed her to travel at incredible speeds. She lunged at Fane, slashing her sword so quickly that he had to focus solely on avoiding or negating her attacks. He used his Black Hole magic as both a shield and a weapon throughout her assaults. A liquid-like black sphere revolved around him, blocking her sword and lunging forward to attack her.

"Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" Gray shouted and a large ice sword appeared in his hands. "No way I'm letting Erza have all the action!"

Gray jumped into the brawl and now Fane had to defend two swordsmen. He was forced to go entirely into a defensive stance as he tried to ease the on slot of attacks.

"Let's go Happy." Natsu said to Happy. "They can handle this."

"Aye sir." Happy replied. He grabbed Natsu by his dress shirt and began to fly him out of the cavern.

"No!" Fane shouted, seeing that he was getting away. He extended his hand and shot another beam of black at Natsu, but this time the dragon slayer was ready for it.

"Get ready for a boost, little buddy." Natsu warned. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

More flames exploded from Natsu's mouth, giving the cat an unprecedented burst of speed as it acted like a fiery propeller. In the blink of an eye, the boy and his cat were into the tunnel and out of Fane's reach. He cursed as he realized that he screwed up.

"Black Hole magic: Dark Expansion!" Fane yelled in anger. A black sphere formed a bubble around him and rapidly expanded outwards. It took all the speed Gray and Erza had to avoid the black surface.

"I must admit." Fane said, his voice low and bitter. "I underestimated you Fairy Tail wizards. That is a mistake I will not make again."

"Gray." Erza whispered to him lowly, so that Fane couldn't hear them. "We can't beat him without Natsu's help. The most we can do is occupy him long enough for us to get away. With Lucy safe, we can regroup and fight him again another day."

"Sounds good." Gray said. "But how are we going to do that?"

"I have another plan." Erza said and then whispered its content to her teammate. He nodded his head.

"Let's do it." Gray said quietly and then raised his voice. "Ice Make: Floor!"

The entire floor of the large cavern was completely covered in ice, causing Fane to narrow his eyes in confusion, unsure what the Fairy Tail wizards were up to.

Not giving him any more time to think, Gray surged forward out him. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" He shouted, forming a powerful sword in his hands. He lunged at Fane and slashed it out at the wizard who only scoffed at his efforts. Using his Black Hole Magic, Fane created a sword like shape of his own that he used to parry Gray's blow. It moved right through Gray's sword of ice, disintegrating it like it was never there, and then contacted the ice wizard himself. The Fairy Tail wizard was dealt a blow beneath his rib cage and was flung backward, sliding along the icy floor.

Gray screamed in agony and was knocked out cold.

"No!" Erza shouted, looking at her friend in desperation. Then she turned to Fane. "You are going to pay for that."

"Make me." He taunted her.

"Requip: Purgatory Armor!" Erza shouted and cloaked herself in black steel armor. She felt a new surge of power pulse through her as she clutched her broad spiked blade. She jumped at Fane, engaging him in close combat; he fended off her attacks easily.

He shot a jet of black at her and she was forced to dodge it by leaping backwards, creating distance between herself and her opponent. As his long range magic was much more powerful that her own, she knew she had to act quickly or he would take her out with another shot.

She gripped her sword and then threw it at Fane with all her might, sending the blade speeding towards him at lighting fast speeds. The only surprise Fane conveyed was the slight raising of his eye brows, but other than that he just raised his hand to create another black hole that would suck her sword away to another dimension.

 _Now, Gray._ Erza thought with all her might, but didn't dare to say the words out loud or she would alert the enemy who was so conveniently focused on her blade.

"Ice Make: RISE!" She heard Gray shout and Erza felt a sense of relief.

The icy floor beneath Fane's feet suddenly rose up like a mountain, trapping Fane on the inside. He was so focused on Erza that he forget about Gray and his ice floor. Gray faked being knocked out so that he could launch this very sneak attack.

"Now!" Erza shouted, not wasting any time. "This is our chance."

The two Fairy Tail wizards started to sprint for the exit while Fane was trapped by the mountain of ice. He quickly was able to dissolve it with his black magic but by the time he did so, Erza and Gray were gone.

He cursed loudly, but after a few moments he quickly calmed down.

 _They'll be back._

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **This chapter was packed full with a bunch of good stuff. I particularly enjoyed letting Gray and Erza take a larger role and finally get some action, plus I didn't think it was necessary to follow Natsu as he went to go save Lucy because you already saw what went down there. Please review and let me know how you thought my first fight scene was. Isn't Fane's magic super scary and powerful? Do you think our Fairy Tail wizards are going to be able to beat him and if so, HOW? Were you surprised that Lucy is supposed to be a sacrifice? I just love hearing literally whatever you guys have to say about the story.**

 **Next time Lucy is finally going to get her answers, thank goodness. Chapter 15 is titled "Well, There Goes the Secret" and it will be up soon. Till then, stay fabulous and take the time to review!**


	16. Chapter 15: Well, There Goes the Secret

Chapter 15

Well, There Goes the Secret

Lucy had woken up a few minutes ago, but she kept her eyes firmly clamped shut as she remembered the crazy dream she had last night. It was one of her more wild fantasies to say the least. She had dreamt that after prom she had followed Natsu into the woods and was attacked by a gang. Natsu came to her rescue and he was able to eat fire and then attack the gang with it too, like some sort of sorcerer. It had been a long time since she'd dreamt up something that ridiculous.

No, when she opened her eyes she would probably be safe in her own bed on the morning of Prom. It was a shame that her dream wasn't real- if it were she wouldn't have to revisit that stupid dance and Natsu wouldn't be the lying jerk she knew him to be.

She let out a deep breath, her eyes still shut tight. She was replaying the dream in her mind as many times as she could and surprisingly it was oddly vivid. Normally she would have to strain for details in her dreams but she could remember every event with stunning clarity.

"Hey, I think she's waking up." A high pitched unfamiliar voice said. In shock, Lucy's eyes flung open.

She screamed.

The broad flat face of Happy, Natsu's blue cat was staring right at her with wide, curious eyes.

"Yep, she's definitely awake." The cat said.

No. That can't be right? Cats can't talk. But she could swear that voice was coming from this little animal…

"Be quiet, Happy. Just cause she saw me use magic doesn't mean she's gunna be cool with a talking cat." That was Natsu's voice. Where did he come from?

Lucy sat up in the bed- or was it even a bed? Taking in her surroundings, she realized that she was on the couch in Natsu's apartment, still in her prom dress.

 _What the hell am I doing here?_ She thought wildly, swinging her head around in a panicked craze. Her breaths were rapid and raspy. _Did he just say talking cat? And something about magic?_

"Hey, Luce, it's alright. Just calm down, okay?" Natsu said quietly to her. He sat down on the other end of the couch. He looked concerned, but otherwise pretty darn happy.

Then everything clicked into place. It was the only explanation. As amazingly terrifying as it was, last night wasn't a dream. Everything she saw, prom, the forest, the fight, the fire, it was all real and it all truly happened. But how was any of that even possible?

 _Either I've gone crazy_ , Lucy thought to herself and then looked at Natsu, _or he has._

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, barely able to form the words.

"I'll tell you everything." Natsu said with a smile. "This time I promise I can tell the truth."

Lucy's heart was beating awfully fast. She looked at Natsu in desperation, relying on him to be able to help her make sense of this crazy situation. She recalled everything from last night. She had almost died, but Natsu saved her life. Those people, they wanted to kill her. And she had the feeling that Natsu knew why. He hadn't looked scared at all last night. He defeated the gang of over twenty men with shocking ease and he did it by using _fire_.

"Oh good, she's awake." Lucy looked over to see that Erza had walked into the room. Lucy stifled a gasp. Erza was covered in bruises and bandages. There was a particularly nasty cut on her cheek and it looked like she was limping. Lucy couldn't speak and was only able to stare blankly at the red head in horror.

It wasn't until then she noticed Natsu was sporting a nasty wound of his own. His formerly spotless white shirt was torn off at the sleeve just below the elbow. The exposed skin of his arm was completely destroyed, exposing raw flesh that was just beginning the healing process.

"Where's Gray?" She asked quietly. Lucy had no idea why she asked that question before all the many, many more important ones. Maybe she just needed to start things slow. After all, if Natsu and Erza were both injured, then it made sense that Gray might be too.

"In the bedroom." Natsu replied casually.

"He's resting from his wounds." Erza added as she walked into view, taking a seat in the living room as well.

"What happened to you guys? Was it that gang of men?" Lucy asked nervously, finally finding her voice. She saw Natsu and Erza exchange a glance, as if they didn't even know where to begin.

"No they are pretty weak." The blue cat piped up. "Erza, Natsu and Gray are strong they would never lose to-"

"HAPPY!" Natsu shouted.

"DID THAT CAT JUST TALK?!" Lucy shrieked. There was no denying it this time. The cat spoke. In English. With words. How- how- how was that even possible?

"Calm down, Lucy." Natsu warned.

"I'm sick of you telling me to calm down!" She yelled, losing her cool again. "No more stalling I want an explanation NOW! What the heck is going on here?"

"Magic." Natsu said, cutting off her rant with the single word.

"I said I wanted a real explanation not just another-"

"I'm telling the truth, Luce." Natsu said quietly. "Me, Happy, Erza, Gray, we all use magic. We are wizards."

Lucy stared back at him blankly then she shifted her glance to Erza and Happy, who were both nodding solemnly.

 _Magic._ Lucy thought weakly to herself. Trying to think clearly for the first time, she knew that magic was the only real explanation as to how Natsu could eat fire and how Happy could talk, but still. She just couldn't believe it. She was still holding on to a wild hope that this was all just some sort of messed up joke.

"Lucy." Natsu prompted. "Say something, will yah?"

"I don't believe you." Lucy replied, shaking her head.

"He's telling the truth." Erza said.

"Aye sir." Happy said.

"You say you're wizards." Lucy said slowly. "So prove it to me. Show me that you aren't just playing a prank on me."

Natsu shrugged then held out his palm. A moment later, a flame erupted in his hand out of nowhere. The fire burned in his hand as he smiled.

"See? I'm a fire wizard."

"And I use Requip magic." Erza said. Then her entire body began to glow brighter than the sun. A heartbeat later the light dimmed and she was visible again. Except now she was wearing a completely different outfit. She was dressed in silvery armor that was nothing like Lucy had ever seen before. She was wearing a long heavy looking skirt that flared out all the way to the ground. Her stomach was exposed with only metallic designs covering her chest. And to complete the spectacular outfit, silver wings erupted from her back, making her look almost like an angel.

Then, her body began to glow again and her outfit changed once more. She was now wearing a simpler form of armor. Her torso was covered with light silver plates and she was wearing a blue skirt that fell just above her knees with tall black boots.

"And not only am I a talking cat, but I also use air magic!" Happy said, not phased at all by Erza's costume change or the fire that was still crackling in Natsu's hand. Instead, he smiled wide as two wings emerged from his back. They weren't metal like the wings of Erza's armor, but real white feathered wings. To make things even weirder, Happy floated up into the air.

The cat can fly.

Lucy fainted again.

XXX

"Sheesh, Natsu. Your friend sure does faint a lot." A high pitched voice squeaked out.

"Well she did just find out that magic exists." A female voice reasoned. "I can't blame her."

"Oh good, she's waking up." Natsu said. Even half conscious, there was no way Lucy would ever not recognize his familiar rasp.

"Oh man." Lucy said as she sat up, opening her eyes and wincing at the pounding pain against her forehead. "My head hurts."

"You were out cold for about ten minutes." Erza told her.

"Sorry 'bout that." Lucy muttered.

"It's perfectly alright."

She wasn't just complaining for the sake of it when she said her head hurt. It felt like her brain was bashing against her skull. She thought she wanted answers, but who would have thought they would give her such a headache? She wanted to just roll over and go to bed, but despite her mental overload, she needed more answers. She looked out the window for a moment. It was still pitch black outside. Lucy had no idea what time it was, but she guessed it was somewhere in the realm of 3 or 4 in the morning.

"So the three of you and Gray are wizards." Lucy said slowly. Just saying the words out loud made her feel ridiculous. "How? I didn't think magic actually existed…"

"It doesn't in this world." Erza said. "At least it's not supposed to."

"This world?" Lucy asked, fearing the answer.

"We aren't from this world, Lucy." Erza said, trying to speak in a comforting voice. "We come from a world called Earthland in which magic is abundant and completely normal."

"This just keeps getting crazier and crazier…" Lucy whispered.

"In Earthland, everyone knows of magic. Different magical items are sold in stores and it is a part of our everyday life. However, there is only a small portion of the population who can use magic that is not sold in stores. These people are called wizards. Wizards of all different ages and backgrounds group together to form guilds, places where wizards can find work helping others in need of their magical powers and get paid for it too. That is how our world works."

"Okay." Lucy said quietly. "Say I believe you- say that I believe that you all come from a different world… What the heck are you doing here?"

"We were sent on a mission." Natsu said, piping up so that he could be the one to answer her question. Lucy didn't fail to notice how her body instantly relaxed when she looked into his eyes. "Someone in our guild, Mystogan, told us about your world, America. He said that there was a magical disturbance here. Your world isn't supposed to have magic, but he sensed some of it here. He sent us to this place to check it out."

"What does this have to do with me?" Lucy asked. She still didn't understand why four wizards would take such an interest in her, nor did she get why those people were after her last night.

"Luce, the reason we joined Martin in the first place is because we sensed a faint source of magic power inside of you." Natsu said.

"What?" Lucy breathed out. "That doesn't make any sense, you must have made some mistake-"

"There is no mistake." Erza said. "Even as you sit before me now, I sense it inside of you."

"Are you saying that I'm a wizard too?!"

"Of course not!" Natsu said with a laugh. "Wizards can actually use their magic."

"Not funny Natsu!" Lucy shouted in irritation. Was he taking this as some sort of joke?

"I know it's not." He said, suddenly getting serious again. "Because that's why those jerks tried to capture you last night. You're special Luce. We don't know what it is about you that makes you necessary for their plan, but they want to use you. They want to use you as a sacrifice."

Before Lucy had a chance to freak out, Erza went into a more in depth explanation. She must have talked for at least a half hour, telling Lucy all about what they have been doing since they arrived in America. Erza told her everything from finding Lucy at Martin, to convincing Natsu to befriend her, and how they all became genuine friends. She told her about how they found out that she was brought to her orphanage by Fane Delacrow, the mysterious wizard from a dark guild in Earthland. She told Lucy how they tracked down the bald follower of Fane to her house and told her what really happened that night. She explained to her how she believed that her and Natsu were getting too close and that she told Natsu to end things with her not only protect her but to also help him accept the fact that they were destined to separate. Finally, she got to the story of tonight. She told Lucy how they fell into Fane's trap, and how Gray and herself fought Fane, barely making it out with their lives while Natsu came to prevent Fane's followers from capturing their target.

"After you fainted, Natsu carried you back here." Erza continued. "He was about to come back to help Gray and myself, but we got back not too long after he did. My injuries are relatively minor, but Gray suffered from some serious wounds. That's why he's in one of the bedrooms recovering."

"So let me get this straight." Lucy said, unsure of how she was finding her voice. "This Fane guy wants to use me as a sacrifice to awaken a demon monster. And you guys are on a mission to stop him?"

"That about sums it up." Happy squeaked. "Let me tell you how horrible it was pretending all this time that I was a normal cat! It all started when-"

"And you all have to go back to your world in three days?" Lucy interrupted the little blue cat.

"Yeah." Natsu answered, shifting his eyes towards the floor to avoid hers.

"That's why you said we couldn't be friends anymore? That's why you said you never even cared about me at all?"

"Luce-"

"Or was that the truth? Maybe our friendship really was all just a lie. The only reason you even became friends with me in the first place was because of your stupid mission." The blonde girl said, beginning to grow angry. She finally had the truth, but it made nothing better. Her relationship with Natsu really was all just a lie. He wasn't who she thought he was. He was just on a mission and she was just a pawn.

"Lucy, you must understand-" Erza began to say.

"Stop it, Erza." Natsu said. "Lucy's right. The reason we became friends is the mission."

Lucy felt tears start to form in her eyes, but her anger allowed her to hold them back. She was about to open her mouth to scream at Natsu or storm out of the apartment but then…

"But, Lucy, you're wrong about our friendship being a lie." Natsu said firmly, this time looking directly at her. "Being with you made living in this world possible. I _hated_ lying to you all those times but I had to because I knew that I only had a year before I would leave and we would never see each other again. Plus, if you knew the truth then you would never just stay behind where it's safe. It was important that you never could know my secret, but honestly, that's not the real reason I lied. The truth is… I was scared. I was scared of the moment when I would lose you and I let that fear control me for so long. If I could go back I would tell you the truth the second we became friends. Because we did, Luce. I don't care what you think now but nothing will ever change the fact that we are best friends. In the past few weeks, I let my fear of losing you change me but I swear that's not going to happen anymore."

Lucy continued to look at him in awe. In a way, she thought that maybe she was looking at a completely new person, but her heart was telling her that this was the same Natsu she had known… and loved all along.

"Let me introduce myself again." He said with unmistakable fire in his voice. "My name is Natsu Dragneel. I'm a wizard and a member of Fairy Tail. I will never turn my back on a friend and that means I will never stop protecting you, Luce. I don't care if I'm leaving this world in a few days, just that I spend every last moment I have here with you. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that."

The tears that had gathered on Lucy's eyes began to fall but they were different this time. They were tears of joy. All this time of feeling hurt and lost, all the time that she doubted herself and her choices were beginning to fade away. She allowed all the good memories of Natsu to flood back into her mind and allowed them to replace the bad. There was a part of her that was cautious of doing this because in the back of her mind she knew that she was opening herself up to being hurt again, but she also knew that it was worth it. She believed every word that came out of Natsu's mouth. She didn't know why she did other than it was just _him_. It was scary how quickly her feelings changed, but she trusted him completely.

"Nice to meet you, Natsu." She said quietly, brushing away some of her tears. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Luce."

XXX

Having changed into a t-shirt and shorts that belonged to Erza, Lucy said goodnight to Natsu and Happy and walked across the hall to where she would be sharing a room and bed with Erza for the night. She still had so many questions, but Erza decided that they all had enough to process for one night. They would make plans on how to act the following morning when Gray wakes up. Erza insisted that Lucy stay at their apartment and the blonde girl was not complaining. She doubted that she would feel safe anywhere that Natsu wasn't. At this point, she didn't even like being in a different room from him, but she had conceded to the fact that she needed some time apart from him to comprehend recent events. After all, she never could think too clearly when he was around.

"How are you feeling?" Erza asked her with a kind smile. Both the young women had climbed into the double bed and while Lucy hugged her knees to her chest in a sitting position, Erza lounged out with her hands beneath her head. The lights were dim in the small cozy bedroom and the bed positioned in the center of it was neither super soft nor extraordinarily stiff, allowing Lucy to find comfort in her company rather than the mattress.

"I don't know." Lucy replied honestly. Her emotions were all so muddied up inside her heart that she couldn't separate the fear from joy, shock from relief, or the confusion from understanding. Although she didn't like separating from Natsu, she was reminded of how nice it felt to have a fellow female to about it all.

"It'll take time to sort through all of your feelings. Trust me, I know from experience."

"I can only imagine all the craziness you've lived through." Lucy sighed, earning a chuckle from Erza. "My world must seem incredibly bland in comparison."

"It's actually not too different."

"Really?" Lucy raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I'm serious." Erza responded. "Some things never change. There's good people and bad people. There's fun and there's responsibility. And one of the things I find most similar is that in both worlds there is love… and there is heartbreak."

The way that Erza's voice hesitated and cracked slightly was an indication to Lucy that the older girl had something on her mind as well.

 _I may not know much about magic or monsters, but I do know people._

"Erza." Lucy said softly. "When you said 'experience' did you mean that you… You know you can tell me anything right? With all the stuff that's been going on recently with Natsu, I wouldn't mind hearing someone else's story, you know?"

"You're quite perceptive. I do happen to know a little something about heartbreak." Erza sighed, sitting up and crossing her legs so that she could speak to Lucy on the same eye level. She let out a soft laugh that didn't contain much humor. "His name was Jellal. I didn't have the best childhood, but he was a bright spot in the middle of a whole lot of darkness. A lot of things happened, a lot of terrible things, and I eventually lost him to the forces of evil. We both grew up and he became someone I didn't even recognize, even going as far as to threaten the lives of people I cared about. Natsu was the one to finally defeat him, but that wasn't before I lost an old friend at Jellal's hand."

"Oh, Erza, I'm so sorry I didn't realize… You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." Lucy stammered out, suddenly feeling guilty for making Erza recount what was obviously a traumatic series of events. She could see the lingering pain in those pretty blue eyes and could feel the tremor of emotion in her friend's normally strong, steady voice.

"It's okay. Even though it hurts, it truly does help to talk about things like this."

Lucy averted her eyes from a penetrating gaze. Erza was right. Often times Lucy would get tangled up in her own thoughts as she had a bad habit of overthinking everything and always playing out worst case scenario in her head. Writing was a method for expressing her thoughts but nothing could match the cathartic release of speaking out loud.

"Have you seen him again since then?" Lucy asked, prompting Erza to continue her story, deciding that it was best to learn by example. To Lucy's surprise, Erza smiled

"Yes. When I found him again, he was different. It's a long story but the bottom line is that for a short time he lost all of his memories. He didn't know who he was or what sins he committed in the past. He was more like the boy I used to know as a kid and somehow I found a way to forgive him for what he did. But that didn't change the fact that he needed to pay for his actions. He's in prison right now and I may never see him again." She let out another sigh and tilted her head up as if she was gazing at a starry sky and not a bland white ceiling. She smiled again with a grit and unyielding confidence that made Lucy wonder if she were capable of it as well. "We just weren't meant to be together. I'll always love him, but sometimes people are just meant to walk different paths."

"Like Natsu and I?" Lucy asked, reading the underlying message in her words. Would she have to accept the fact that her and Natsu were meant to walk different paths? She shook her head, trying but failing to imagine a future where she was all alone in the world with this massive secret. For a heartbeat she wished that she didn't find out the truth, but then just found herself wishing even more that her new friends wouldn't have to leave her. But that was just wishful thinking. No matter how she looked at it, her future was rather bleak.

She looked at Erza and saw that powerful resilience in her eyes, eyes that have gone through immense pain but still resulted in a stronger person. Would those be her own eyes in the a few months? A few years? She wasn't as strong as Erza was. All Lucy could expect of herself months from now was depression and that very thought made her tremble in fear of what was to come after these three days are up. But just before she could sink too deeply into her fears, she felt Erza place a warm hand on her shoulder. The simple gesture seemed to suck all the tension out of the air.

"Something that I've learned throughout my life is that people are capable of choosing their own future. I don't think you and Natsu are any different."

"Really? I mean you _were_ the one that wanted him to never see me again." Lucy shot back, lightening up a little as she tossed Erza's hand off her shoulder with a good-natured shrug.

"I've been meaning to apologize for that, actually." Erza admitted sheepishly as she ruffled her scarlet hair. "I was only trying to protect you both. I didn't want you to be directly involved in all this craziness and I guess a part of me was worried that if you and Natsu were together on the day we have to go, he would do something stupid like not come back to Earthland with us because he wouldn't want to leave you behind."

"Would he really do something like that? I mean he always says how you guys are family to him."

"I guess I don't know how he'd react. Normally I know him pretty well but we are in uncharted territory here."

"What do you mean by uncharted territory?" Lucy questioned with a tilted head.

"Oh, I just mean the fact that he's in love with you. This is the first time- and maybe only time- that he's loved a girl so who knows how Natsu will react-"

"Whoa whoa whoa." Lucy interrupted Erza in the middle of her sentence because her brain was still clinging onto one little word Erza said earlier in her undeniably blunt statement. "You think Natsu's _in love_ with me?"

"More like I know he is." Erza laughed. "I _do_ understand him well enough to realize when he's head over heels for somebody. You're lucky, you know. Natsu is fiercely protective of his friends so I can't even imagine just how much he cares for you."

Lucy wanted to speak up, tell Erza that she couldn't be right or that they were only friends, but she didn't have the energy for that charade right now. All she could do was look at her friend with pathetically hopeful doe brown eyes and whisper in a quiet voice.

"You really think so?"

"I do." Erza nodded, causing the essence of Lucy's very soul to take flight and perform a couple joyous loops around the room. Not failing to notice the blonde's obvious delight, Erza tilted her head in curiosity.

"Does this mean that you forgive him?"

"Yes." Lucy said confidently. "I do."

"I'm happy to hear it." Erza said in satisfaction. "Now let's get some rest. The morning won't be too forgiving when it comes."

"Sounds good." Lucy agreed and the pair made good on their word, turning the lights off and tucking themselves in beneath the covers, ready for the peace only sleep could bring.

XXX

Lucy was supposed to be sleeping but her eyes were wide open and she just couldn't get them to shut. Despite agreeing with Erza that sleep was probably was the best thing for her at this point, how was she supposed to sleep after the night she just had? She just found out that her best friends were wizards from a different world, that a legitimate evil villain wanted to use her as a sacrifice to awaken a monster, and that Natsu had actually cared about her all along. Even though some may not think that last one was as earth-shattering a revelation as the others, to Lucy, it meant the world.

Careful to not wake up the sleeping redhead beside her, Lucy rolled over to look out the window. The sun was starting to peak out over the horizon. She really should try to get at least an hour of sleep, but she doubted that she could get her head to relax that much…

"Hey, Luce." She heard a voice whisper from the doorway. "Lucy, you awake?"

Lucy sat up quickly and saw that Natsu had come to visit her. Although her consciousness was obvious, she nodded her head yes anyway.

"You wanna get out of here?" He asked.

"Yes." Lucy said immediately. It always amazed her how Natsu seemed to read her mind sometimes. She wanted nothing more than to get some fresh air.

She rolled quietly out of bed, cringing a bit at the crisp morning air as she walked over to Erza's closet. She said that Lucy could borrow whatever she wanted. Having worn a t-shirt and shorts to bed, she grabbed a hoodie to cover her makeshift pajamas. She grabbed some shoes and followed Natsu out the door, neither of them speaking a word.

The pink haired boy had changed out of his prom attire as well, although he was definitely missing some articles of clothing. He wasn't wearing a shirt. In fact the only things partially covering his torso was his signature white scarf and a black waistcoat with gold trim that was left open, exposing all of his well-defined abs. He was wearing loose fitting white pants that gathered below his knees and were tied by black ribbon. The bottom of the same black coat with gold trim was attached at his brown belt and fell just above his knees. His odd look was completed with sandals. It was some of the strangest clothing Lucy had ever seen but somehow it fit him perfectly.

 _That must be his attire from Earthland_. Lucy thought to herself. She also noticed his red tattoo on his shoulder. When Erza changed her clothes, Lucy had also noticed the same mark on her arm except in blue. _It must be their Fairy Tail guild emblem_.

The exited the apartment and walked downstairs to the park behind it. Lucy remembered the first time they came here together. Things were so much simpler back then.

They walked around in silence for a while, taking in the fresh stillness of the morning, but Lucy couldn't hold back her questions anymore.

"Hey Natsu." She said quietly. It felt almost wrong to talk in the peaceful silence of the morning, but she just had to.

"Yup?"

"How much of what you told me about yourself is true?" Lucy asked, almost nervous. "I mean you said that you've been searching for your dad…"

"Oh right!" Natsu said, understanding what she was saying. "Do you want to hear my full story? I mean it's not much, but if you want to know-"

"I do." Lucy said eagerly. The pair sat down on a park bench near the pond and Natsu eagerly began his story.

"Well the first thing you gotta know is that Igneel is a dragon."

"Ha ha." Lucy said dryly. "Very funny."

"No, I'm serious." Natsu said. "My dad is a dragon."

Lucy stared at him for a few moments with her mouth hanging open. You'd think that nothing could surprise her anymore, but…

"No way." She breathed out. "So are you telling me that you're half dragon?"

"Um sort of, but not exactly. I'm a Dragon Slayer." Natsu said.

"Dragon Slayer?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"It doesn't mean I actually slay dragons, it just means that the type of magic I use is specialized for fighting dragons."

"I see." Lucy said, although that probably wasn't entirely true.

"Igneel is the one who taught me my magic. He found me all alone when I was real little and then raised me. He taught me everything I know, but then one day about seven years ago he disappeared. He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."

Lucy looked at him but didn't say anything. Natsu wasn't the kind of guy who needed pity.

"So then I traveled by myself and eventually I came across the Fairy Tail guild. They took me in and they've been my family ever since. I still haven't heard anything from Igneel, but I'm sure I'll find him one day."

"I'm sure you will too." Lucy said. "And when you do, he'll be proud that you've made such good friends."

"Fairy Tail is the best." Natsu agreed. "I wish you could visit the guild! Or even join, you'd love it, I'm sure."

"Is that Fairy Tail's symbol?" Lucy asked pointing at his tattoo.

"Sure is! Every member has one."

"So tell me more about this guild." Lucy asked. "What is it like?"

"It's awesome!" Lucy smiled as she saw just how much Natsu's face lit up just at the mention of his guild. "It's crazy and wild, every day is a new adventure. The guild hall brawls are my favorite and let me tell you, they get pretty intense, but everyone is still friends afterwards. We laugh together, we cry together and we fight together. It's like one big family!"

"You're right." Lucy said. "I'm sure I would love it."

Then Natsu jumped into telling her a mound of stories where the end of one would spill into him telling her about another. He told her about how he and Happy met, about his rivalry with Gray (who she found out was an Ice Make wizard), and about all the trouble he's gotten himself into.

His world was still so new and strange, she hardly understood half of what he was telling her, but she still just enjoyed listening to him talk. Her Natsu was back and better than ever. This time he was actually being himself. He was holding nothing back. Listening to his stories, Lucy realized that he was pretty much a pig headed reckless kid with a one track mind focused on fighting. Of course, Lucy also knew that he had a big heart and would do anything for his friends.

And he'd been in some serious battles, too. If that scar on his neck was any signal, Natsu sure had been through some tough times. But it seemed like he really did love fighting. That was his passion.

With these new revelations about who Natsu truly was, Lucy found herself even more attracted to him. His muscles because more than just muscles, his pink hair became more than just pink hair, and his personality became more than just a personality. Every aspect of him fitted and fused together to create a person more amazing than she could have ever thought possible.

"I wonder what kind of magic I'd have if I lived in your world." Lucy said absently. She angled her body towards Natsu so that their knees brushed against each other lightly.

"I don't know." Natsu said thoughtfully, responding to the touch by absentmindedly reaching out for a strand of Lucy's hair, tucking it behind her ear. "I guess I'm so used to seeing you here it's hard for me to imagine you with magic."

"What determines what kind of magic you use?" Lucy asked suddenly. "Or if you can use it at all?"

"Huh, I never really thought about it before."

"Shocker." Lucy said with a giggle.

"I've always thought that anyone who really puts their mind to it can learn magic. But I guess it has to do with your parents, if you got any magical blood in your veins."

"So I'll probably never be able to use magic." Lucy sighed.

"Well maybe not." Natsu said. "Erza thinks that Fane brought you over from Earthland to here. We don't know who your parents are but they probably live in Earthland. They may even be wizards."

"Really?" Lucy said in awe, taking in yet another new piece of information. She always wondered who her biological parents were. To find out that they could be wizards… the notion was incredible.

"It sure would explain why you have magic inside of you." Natsu nodded his head slowly. The only time he tore his eyes away from hers was to steal a fleeting glance at her lips.

"I guess it would…" Lucy said trailing off.

"But I wouldn't worry about that if I were you!" Natsu said brightly. "We'll storm Fane's cavern, kick that jerk's sorry but and take him back to Earthland with us. That monster thing will never be awakened and then it will be like none of this ever happened." Natsu's cheery tone drifted off to something darker. "It will be like we never existed. You can go back to living your life like normal."

"Do you really think I want that?" Lucy said gently. She had been so absorbed in what she was feeling she hadn't stopped to think about how all this must be affecting Natsu. He looked sad.

"I don't know." He replied. "I guess I thought you'd be pretty freaked out about all this and want us gone."

"Of course I'm freaked out." Lucy said softly. Somehow, when she looked back up at him he was even closer than before. "But I don't want you guys to go. You're my friends and nothing is going to change that. Yes, we went through a rough patch but that wasn't anyone's fault. It may be weird because everything I thought I knew in the past is a lie, but I'm happier now. I'm happier now because I get to see who you really are."

"I say we blame Erza and Gray." Natsu replied equally as soft. "They were the ones who made me lie."

"Whatever you say." Lucy said with a laugh, finding that it was her turn to steal a glance at Natsu's lips.

Lucy suddenly became painfully aware of how close she was to Natsu. Their faces were only inches apart as they subconsciously leaned towards each other. Lucy's heart began to beat faster and faster. Her skin started to tingle.

"Hey, Luce." He said in barely more than a whisper after a long, thick stretch of silence. She could feel the heat of his breath on her mouth.

"Yeah." She breathed out, not all that concerned with what he was about to say.

"Have I ever told you that you smell good?" She could feel the heat of his body warm her own. His warm dark eyes began to close halfway and he leaned even closer to her, probably unaware of what he was doing.

"Thank goodness I know you're a dragon slayer now or that would have sounded pretty creepy."

She barely got the words out before she felt Natsu's forehead rest against her own. She quickly drew in a breath of air as another shock was sent jolting through every inch of her body. There was next to nothing separating them now, causing Lucy for the first time in her life to completely banish every coherent thought from her mind as she allowed herself to fully _live_ in this one moment. Both teens were hesitating, unsure of what to do next, but acting on pure instinct at the same time. Those tantalizing moments of anticipation and excitement were almost as good as the ones that followed.

Natsu closed the distance between them and allowed his lips to crash into her own. If she thought her skin was tingling before, now it was on fire. Her eyes were sealed shut as she kissed him back with all the passion she had to muster, enjoying the closeness, the rush of hormones, the sheer ecstasy of her first kiss. He cupped his firm yet gentle hands around either side of her face, pulling her even closer into him, making her heart pound faster and faster. He was so warm, hot as the flames he swallowed right into his stomach. She knew fireworks were such a cliché when describing romantic moments, but she couldn't for the life of her think of a more fitting metaphor.

The sensation was over much too soon as they pulled away from each other, both with massive smiles on their faces. Lucy could help but think just how much she had missed that grin of his. With a flushed red face and erratic heart, all Lucy wanted to do was lean back forward and finish what they started. But then a nagging thought in the back of her mind managed to break through her ignorant wall of happiness.

None of this was going to last.

Three days. As she peaked at the rays of sun shining over the horizon, her heart sunk with dread. Now, it was only two. He was going to leave her in just two days.

"What's wrong, Luce?" He asked, seeing the dread on her face. That was it. Lucy couldn't hold them back anymore. The tears started to poor down her cheeks, which only made Natsu even sicker with worry. Not wanting to look him straight in the eye she cuddled close to his warmth and buried her face in his bare chest, soaking his skin with tears.

"I'm going to miss you, Natsu." She sobbed. Natsu was quiet for a moment and then he let out a sigh.

"I'm gunna miss you too, Luce."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Alright, I have a lot to say right now, so at the risk of writing an obnoxiously long author's note, I'm going to get straight to business.**

 **Natsu and Lucy kissed! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this moment for a long time and now that it actually happened, I hope that it lived up to what I'm sure were lofty expectations. So what do you think? Was it worth the wait? Don't get too comfortable though, because it's not going to be all butterflies and dandelions from here on out. We are about to get into some pretty serious stuff. Will our new couple be able to make it through?**

 **I also wanted to touch on that awesome scene between Erza and Lucy. I didn't have it in my original draft and only added it later on because there were a few people in the reviews saying how they wanted to see more of that friendship. And I thought, yeah, they are TOTALLY right! And so, I added their conversation in and I was overall very pleased with how it fit into the story. See? I do make changes based on your reviews, so please keep it up! If not for me then do it for the sake of the story and community at large! Ha ha, no pressure. Oh, and just because Gray was out of commission this chapter, don't think I've forgotten about our favorite Ice wizard (unless, you're a Lyon/Silver fan) and his relationship with Lucy.**

 **Also Erza mentioned her relationship with Jellal and I know that this will probably cause some of you to wonder how so many things can be the same back in Earthland when Lucy was never there to fulfill her role in the main Fairy Tail story. First and foremost I am going to say, don't worry about it. It doesn't really matter in this story. Secondly, if you really want to know, most things in Earthland** ** _are_** **the same. I don't want to undervalue Lucy's importance, but I also have the highest faith in Fairy Tail that they would be able to fill in the gaps of her absence and still defeat Phantom Lord, beat Oracion Seis, etc. as well as keep most of the finer plot points running. Sorry if you don't care about any of this and I only confused you with this mini paragraph, I just wanted to address a likely question.**

 **Wow, there was a lot of words this chapter! Don't worry there is much more action in the future, but I just envisioned this chapter as the calm before the storm, if you know what I mean.**

 **Finally, I just wanted to wrap this up with a little complaining of my own (venting is good, right?). I spent like an hour editing this chapter and making a lot of changes because I wanted it to be really good. I was just about to post this literally two hours ago, but my computer randomly decided to update itself and I lost all of the changes I made when it restarted. I almost gave up for the night, but then some sort of Natsu-inspired perseverance to post this chapter kicked in and I redid ALL of the editing, rewrote the author's note and added in some new stuff as well. I'm quite frustrated, but also oddly pleased because I do think the chapter turned out better after my second attempt at editing. Anyway, I've learned my lesson and shall now forevermore save my work once per every five words I write.**

 **Yep, just as I feared. This author's note is horribly long. My bad.**

 **As always, thank you for reading and reviewing, it means the world to me.**


	17. Chapter 16: Stand Up

Chapter 16

Stand Up

Somehow, Natsu thought that once he told Lucy the truth, things would get better, but it only made things a million times worse. Yes, it made Lucy like him again but at what cost? If she still hated him then he could just go back to his world in two days and the only thing she would say is 'good riddance'. Now, she would be left all alone again. He hated seeing her cry. Seeing that uncontrollable stream of tears pour down her pretty face at his expense was the worst torture he'd ever been through. That was definitely the thing he hated most- he was the reason she cried and in two days, she would cry even more tears. He felt like such a jerk. He should have known from the very beginning that becoming friends with Lucy was a bad idea.

Oh, who was he kidding? There was no way he could ever regret becoming friends with her. And maybe, maybe now they were something more than friends. He didn't know what had come over him but he had just let his instincts take control. Kissing Lucy was one of the best feelings he's ever had and he couldn't stop thinking about it ever since. It was amazing how one second he had been on the top of the world and the next he felt like a piece of crap.

He let Lucy cry silently into his chest for a while. Eventually, her tears had stopped as she finally gave into sleep. He just sat there, watching the sun come up as he held her tightly in his arms. He rested his chin on her silky soft blonde hair and breathed in her comforting, familiar scent.

He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night either, which was weird for him since he always seemed to be able to sleep wherever whenever. But today he just had too much on his mind. Thinking back, not sleeping was probably a terrible idea. They would have to go face Fane again either today or tomorrow at the latest and he knew that he needed all the strength he could get for that moment. Whatever, he had never been the sort of guy to think things through.

The sun was out completely now, slowly making its way up to the top of the sky. Natsu sighed. It was probably about time to wake up Lucy and go see Erza, Gray and Happy. He hesitated from doing so as he watched the easy rising and falling of the girl's chest. She was so peaceful now, maybe still pretending that it was all just a bad dream…

"Hey Erza, Gray!" A very familiar voice squeaked out, breaking the morning silence. "I found them!"

"Oh, it's Happy." Natsu said out loud. He could smell his little buddy before his eyes actually caught the blue cat scurrying down to the bench where he was sitting with Lucy. Quickly, Erza and Gray came into sight as well, looking pretty worried.

"Hey Lucy." Natsu said to the sleeping girl, shaking her awake gently. "You better wake up. We got visitors."

The girl lifted up her head and blinked her eyes groggily. She brushed stray locks of hair out of her eyes as Natsu resisted the temptation to do it for her.

"What's going on?" She said, her voice thick with the confusion of sleep.

"You fell asleep." Natsu informed her, keeping one eye fixed on their rapidly approaching friends. "Better look alive, Erza, Gray and Happy are coming."

At that she started to look more awake, abruptly moving away from Natsu to a more platonic position next to him on the bench. A gentle blush graced her cheeks and Natsu smiled at how cute it was.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Natsu?!" Erza roared as she got close to the dragon slayer.

"It's way too early for this." Natsu moaned.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?!" She yelled at him despite the fact that she was now hovering over him only a foot away. "We woke up and the two of you were GONE! We had no idea what happened to either of you! Lucy could have been captured or both of you could have already been dead!"

"Um, well we're okay." Natsu said, hoping it was the right thing to say.

It wasn't.

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE OKAY!" Erza roared even louder than before. "You are in major trouble when we get back to the guild, Natsu. When I tell master this, I'm sure he will agree with me! It's the punishment games for you!"

"No." Natsu said, horrified. "Not the punishment games! Anything but that!"

"What are the punishment games?" Lucy asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"You don't wanna know." Happy said ominously.

"Anyway, the point is, Lucy's okay and Natsu's an idiot." Gray said, looking almost bored. "Now we need to focus on our plan of action. We only have two more days to settle this once and for all."

"Feeling better, popsicle pants?" Natsu said. Gray was still wrapped in some extra bandages but he was on his feet.

"Ready to kick some ass, flame freak." Gray replied with a smirk.

"Good." Natsu said with a devilish smile as he stood up. "I'm ready to brawl myself. I say we go now and teach that jerk a lesson."

"And how do you plan on going about that?" Erza asked rolling her eyes.

"I say we stick to good old plan T." Natsu said.

"What's plan T?" Lucy asked.

"TAKE 'EM BY STORM!" Happy and Natsu yelled out in unison, giving each other a high five. Lucy laughed but the other two wizards just groaned.

"Somehow I don't think that's going to fly." Gray said sarcastically.

"How do you know?" Natsu shot back.

"How do you plan on getting inside the cavern?" Erza said, shaking her head. "I assume Fane has resealed the cavern by now. We won't even be able to get in."

"Oh." Natsu said with a smile, ruffling the back of his hair. "Didn't think about that."

"No surprise there." Gray snorted.

"I, however, do have an actual plan." Erza said seriously, ending their banter. "But, it does involve you, Lucy. And it will be dangerous."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. Honestly, he didn't want Lucy to be a part of this. When he said that he wanted Lucy to be by his side every moment until he left, having her run into a life or death battle with him wasn't what he had in mind. But, he knew he had to respect Lucy's decision, whatever it was. He owed her that much, at least.

"This Fane Delacrow man." Lucy said slowly. "He wants to use me as a sacrifice, doesn't he? So as far as I'm concerned, I'm in danger wherever I go until he is defeated. I might as well be at my friends' sides. I'll do whatever you need me to."

Natsu felt his heart burn with pride at Lucy's words. She may not have grown up in his world, but she really did have the heart of a Fairy Tail wizard. She was brave enough to put her trust in him, so he was damn sure going to deliver.

"Thank you, Lucy." Erza said nodding her head. "Because my plan requires you to act as a decoy. The only way we can get into the cavern is if Fane or one of his followers lowers the barrier and they won't do that without good reason. After what happened last night, Fane is going to be very specific about who he lets in and out. What we have to do is clear. We must allow Lucy to be captured."

"What?!" Natsu protested immediately. "Isn't that exactly what we _don't_ want to do?"

"It's our only option." Erza replied. "We will let Lucy be captured and follow her back to the cavern. We will sneak in with her and her captor when the barrier is lowered. From there, we will defeat Fane before he has a chance to use Lucy as the sacrifice."

"I'm in." Lucy said immediately.

"What, no!" Natsu said. "This is too crazy."

"Thanks for worrying about me, Natsu, but I know this is the right thing to do." Lucy assured him. "I know that no harm can come to me so long as you are beside me."

Natsu looked at her closely, large dark eyes filled with unadulterated concern met shiny brown orbs on the verge of adventure. That moment of understanding was so intimate, so deep that it caused the other three wizards to avert their eyes.

"I swear." Natsu said, not an ounce of doubt in his voice. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

Lucy nodded and that was that. They had their plan.

"Now let's go save the world." Natsu said, pounding a flaming fist into his palm.

XXX

"I kind of feel like a heroine in one of the novels I read." Lucy whispered out loud.

From high above, Natsu smiled. Lucy was sitting all alone on a bench at the corner of a deserted street, pretending to read a book. Her heart was racing with excitement as she felt the rush of a real adventure settling upon her. She was basically asking to be captured now, like bait dangling all alone in the ocean, waiting to be snatched.

Natsu was watching her from the roof of a building behind her while Happy was circling so high above, he looked like a bird. Erza was staked out across the street from the inside of an empty antique shop and Gray was sitting inside a car not too far down the road. The wizards were watching her and scouting for threats from all angles and vantage points, ensuring that nothing would go unseen. When Lucy was captured, the two wizards would pile inside the car and follow on ground while Happy tracked her from the sky.

Just before Lucy went out to her position, Natsu told her that if she was feeling nervous, she could whisper out loud and he would be able to hear her with his heightened dragon slayer hearing. It would only look like she was reading the words out loud when in actuality, Lucy would have someone to talk to in order to ease her stress.

"It's exciting but nerve racking at the same time. And I can't believe it's all only just beginning." She said. "And if I'm the heroine, I guess that makes you the hero, Natsu. You're the knight in shining armor to my damsel in distress."

That made her giggle to herself while Natsu grinned fondly at her from above. He never understood the appeal of books, but he liked that Lucy liked them.

"It makes me remember that day in English class when you argued with the teacher about what it means to be a hero. Gosh, that seems like such a long time ago, but I still remember you telling him that a hero never gives in. I kind of thought you were crazy back then, but now it makes sense why you said that."

That brought back memories to Natsu as well. He remembered that day clearly. They were talking about the book they were supposed to have read. Natsu didn't, of course, but he knew the basics of the story. That teacher tried to tell him that sacrifice is what makes a real hero, which was the biggest load of crap he had ever heard.

"You know, Natsu." Lucy said even quieter than before. "I can tell that we are about to get in some serious danger. Sitting here now in the sun, I can't even phantom what the next few hours are going to hold. I know you smile like nothing is wrong but I can tell that's not entirely true. We are both going to be risking our lives and there is a chance that we might not make it."

Natsu wanted to jump down and comfort her, wrap his arms around her or something, but he had to hold himself back. He just gritted his teeth instead.

"Because of that I want to tell you something in case I don't have time to later." She broke the tension with a soft laugh. "In fact, it's probably better that I say it now because I'd probably too nervous to say it to you directly. I liked kissing you, Natsu. And I wish that you didn't have to leave because I would have liked to be with you, Natsu. As something more than friends."

Natsu was glad that he couldn't say anything back to her because he had no idea what he would have. All he knew was that he really liked kissing her too, but that he never into all the lovey crap.

Something more than friends. Natsu thought slowly. Subconsciously, a smile cracked onto his face, but then faded quickly as he remembered that all this was for nothing. He was going to leave her forever in just a couple of days. They wouldn't even have the chance to try…

Then Lucy cried out a high-pitched hair-raising scream that was suddenly cut short. Natsu's instincts switched back into action as he looked down at the scene below him. A group of three burly men were grabbing Lucy, covering her mouth so that she could no longer scream and shoving her into a black SUV. Every bone in Natsu's body was telling him to jump down and take Lucy back right then and there, but he had to hold himself back. This was all part of the plan.

The moment the black car sped out was the moment that he jumped down from his hiding spot and got into Gray's car. Erza did the same while Happy zoomed after the SUV from above.

"After them!" Erza shouted from the passenger seat.

"I'm way ahead of you!" Gray replied as he shifted the car into gear. The tires screeched as they raced ahead to catch up.

Immediately, Natsu's stomach was thrown through a loop. His motion sickness was beginning to take over and the world started to spin.

"Why couldn't I just fly with Happy?" He moaned as he clutched his very queasy stomach.

"Pathetic." Gray said.

The car ride was absolute hell for the dragon slayer, but it did end relatively quickly. Or maybe that was just because he had passed out for a while.

"Natsu, wake up." Erza said a while later. "We're here."

Natsu flung his eyes open and jumped up to his feet.

"Let's go." He said with steely conviction.

Gray had parked the car on the street just outside the forest and the four wizards didn't hesitate before rushing into the thick tangle of trees and shrubs. Remembering the path to the cavern entrance, Erza led the way, traveling at a full sprint. For the first time, it occurred to Natsu just how many things could go wrong with their plan. What if they didn't make it on time? What if Lucy was already dead by the time they arrived?

 _Not gunna happen_. Natsu growled inside his mind.

"Hurry!" Natsu shouted. "We have to catch up to Lucy before we lose her!"

Even though they thought they were going at full velocity before, the wizards found a way to increase their speed even more.

"Natsu, can you locate where Lucy is right now?" Erza asked. "If she and her captor gets inside the cavern and closes the barrier before we catch up to them we are as good as finished."

"I can smell her." Natsu said, concentrating on her familiar scent. He spat as he smelled that is was accompanied by a gross, musty odor. "She is being taken down the entrance now."

Erza nodded. They were going to make it. In no time, they reached the entrance as well. Without hesitation, they tossed aside the large rock, plunged down the hole and began racing through the underground tunnel.

"Listen," Erza said, heavy breathing accompanied by the rapid patter of footsteps against stone. "When we get inside, we have to hit Fane hard and fast. Take out any followers he has with him as quickly as possible. Happy, you can check on Lucy and make sure she is alright."

"Here we go." Gray said as the end of the tunnel came into sight. They could see the soft blue glow of the Lacrima crystals giving light to the cavern.

"The barrier is still down." Erza noted. "He hasn't had time to put it back up."

She was right. The three wizards burst into the cavern with speed and ferocity. The first thing that Natsu saw was Lucy's body lying on the floor beneath the feet of the giant monster. She was tied up and Fane was standing over her, as if he were about to cast a spell.

 _She's still alive._ That was the only thought Natsu needed to give himself the necessary strength. Natsu ran straight for Fane while Erza and Gray quickly dispatched all of Fane's brainwashed human followers, leaving their bodies alive but unconscious, scattered across the smooth stone floor.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu roared, aiming a fiery fist right at Fane's face.

The villain looked surprised by the intrusion of Fairy Tail wizards only for a moment before he regained his composure.

"I should have known." He said. Then he formed a pitch black circle, acting as a shield in front of his face. Natsu's attack was rendered useless and just before his fist could slip into the black hole, he pulled it back. The pink haired boy jumped backwards to create some space between them.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" A large beam of flame shot forward at the enemy, large enough to encompass his entire body. But of course, with Fane's Black Hole Magic, it did little good.

"Need some help, Natsu?" Gray shouted.

Natsu just rolled his eyes as he continued to bombard the enemy with flame.

"Ice-Make: Cannon." A large cannon appeared in Gray's hands. Natsu ended his stream of flame, and the moment that Fane released his black shield was the moment that Gray fired an icy shot.

Fane barely had enough time to stop the attack before Erza appeared suddenly from behind him clad in her Thunder Empress Armor. She pointed her long spear at Fane and fired a blue bolt of lightning at him.

This time it hit.

Fane let out a howl of pain, something that a wizard with an ultimate defense was not used to. The Fairy Tail wizards gave him no time to recover. Gray and Natsu were already working on their next combination attack. Gray had formed a mighty ice sword which Natsu cloaked with red hot flames. Gray slashed the weapon at Fane, who only had time to throw up an incomplete shield that only stopped a part of the attack. He was still met with a respected amount of force.

"Heaven's wheel!" Erza shouted, who had requiped again.

"Ice-Make: Death Scythe!" Gray shouted, forming another weapon in his hands.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu formed a massive ball of fire and flung it at Fane. Erza and Gray unleashed their attacks too and all three hit Fane directly at the same time.

Or so they thought.

Fane had managed to shield himself with another black hole large enough to suck in all their attacks.

"Damn, I thought we had him." Gray growled in frustration. "How the hell are we going to beat this guy?"

"We got him by surprise once, but somehow I don't think we'll be so lucky again." Erza commented.

"Not giving up so soon, I hope?" Fane taunted them with a devilish smirk. He had a fairly significant wound on his back from Erza's attack, but it did little to mitigate his crazed devotion to his scheme. His eyes were wild with excitement and insanity, his pale skin soaked with sweaty anticipation. "Our little fight could serve as the appetizer to a far greater event."

"We'll _never_ give up." Erza declared. "We will find a way to defeat you."

Her sentiment only caused Fane to go into another round of villainous laughter, but then he caught something in the corner of his eye that instantly displeased him.

While they were talking, Natsu had hurried over to where Lucy was tied up on the ground in front of the monster's feet. He quickly undid her bindings as he tried not to stare too long at the inanimate beast towering above him.

"You alright, Luce?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." She nodded, worried eyes darting up at the same thing Natsu was trying to avoid looking at and then focused on the dragon slayer himself. "Are you going to be able to defeat Fane?

"Yeah, of course! No problem, we just gotta figure out his weakness. Every jerk like him has one."

"I think I know what his may be." She said slowly, not completely confident in her idea.

"What? Really? Spill, any idea would help."

"Well it's just that I took an Astronomy class in high school last year as an elective and I remember learning about black holes. That's what you said his magic was, right? Anyway we learned about this thing called black hole evaporation. Basically, when a black hole takes in mass, the work that it has to exert to suck in the mass is larger than the mass itself."

"Whoa, what are you saying? I'm not following this science stuff at all."

"What I'm trying to say is that if you shoot enough mass, or in your case magic, into his black hole, it will grow smaller and smaller until it disappears."

"GET AWAY FROM THE GIRL." Fane bellowed across the cavern, for the first time looking angry.

"Thanks, Luce." Natsu said as he stood up to face the evil wizard. Then he turned to his Fairy Tail friends and gave them a confident smirk. "Thanks to Lucy, I know how we can beat this jerk."

Natsu broke into a run, charging directly at Fane, focused on what he had to do.

"How?" Both Gray and Erza asked at the same time.

"Give him all you got! Direct all of your magic at his Black Hole shield and don't stop for anything!" He yelled back, pooling up all of his magic power for his next attack. He then jumped into the air and bellowed at the top of his lungs. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR"

"We're trusting you, flame brain." Gray said and then unleashed all of his magic as well. "ICE MAKE: FREEZE LANCER."

"DANCE MY SWORDS." Erza chanted out as well, summoning thousands of swords, directing them all at the same place. The three attacks combined into one and sped thunderously at their target.

"How foolish." Fane sneered, summoning another giant black hole to protect himself with. "That will never work!"

All of the wizards' attacks hit the wall of black and disappeared inside without a trace, but instead of releasing their magic, the team of Fairy Tail mages pressed forwards, not relenting their attacks. A mixture of flame, ice and swords bombarded the black hole without stop, giving it more and more to absorb. Eventually, the circle of darkness began to decrease in size, growing smaller and smaller the more magic was thrust inside of it. Fane's eyes widened in fear as he saw what was happening. He tried to fight against the attacks, but it was no good. They were giving the black hole more than it could handle. As Fane watched his shield shrink away, he saw all of his planning, hard work, and life purpose threatening to disappear as well.

He couldn't let that happen.

After what seemed like hours of pouring their magic into the black hole, it finally got so small that it vanished just like Lucy thought it might. With no shield to protect him, the trio of attacks burst forward to hit Fane directly. The wizard was thrown back in the air as he let out a caterwauling scream of pain, landing on the unforgiving stone floor with a heavy thud. The large explosion of magic caused a cloud of smoke to be kicked up around the fallen wizard, hiding him from sight.

On the brink of victory, the Fairy Tail wizards finally were able to release their spells and receive a moment of rest.

"Did we finish him?" Gray asked, breathing hard.

"We'll see." Erza said through narrowed eyes, clearly very exhausted herself.

Natsu looked back over his shoulder towards Lucy. Happy was right beside her as she sat up and managed to give him a thumbs up. He flashed her a smile in turn.

"Black Hole Magic: Demon Blast."

"NO!" Natsu shouted.

Still alive and covered by the smoke from the explosion, Fane fired a spell. But it wasn't directed at Natsu. It wasn't even meant for Erza or Gray. Fane was aiming for Lucy.

The girl's eyes widened in shock and fear as she watched a jet of pitch black magic zoom towards her. All three wizards began running towards her at once. Erza tried to slash through the attack with her swords in order to nullify it, but she just wasn't fast enough. Like Natsu, Gray was lunging towards Lucy, but Happy was the one to get to her first.

The little blue cat grabbed onto Lucy and began to pull her out of the way, but he just wasn't quick enough to get either of them to complete safety. He managed to get her out of the way of a fatal blow, but the attack still made contact with her lower leg. Happy suffered a greater portion of the attack on his back as he was trying to save her. Splashes of blood tainted the ground.

Their simultaneous screams were high pitched and cut through the air painfully.

"Lucy! Happy!" Natsu shouted and rushed to their sides.

As he sprinted towards his two friends, Natsu vaguely heard someone say something from behind him. The next thing he knew, a sudden great force hit him on his lower back. Natsu yelled in anguish as the fiery cold sensation of a million knifes twisting inside his skin. Fane had hit him too.

Natsu collapsed on the ground only a few feet away from Lucy and Happy.

Lucy, who was still conscious, screamed again, but couldn't bring herself to speak any words. Tears and blood stained her face as her mouth was gaped open in horror.

The pain Natsu was experiencing was unreal. It was different from any regular sort of wound; it was almost like Fane's magic held some sort of poison that continued to sizzle in his flesh and fry his spine. Natsu quickly determined that Lucy would be okay. The skin of her calf was charred off, leaving a fleshy wound, but it wasn't too deep. She was clutching it in pain with one hand, trying to control the bleeding.

"Happy." Natsu called out, his voice strained from pain. "Hey little buddy, you alright?"

Happy looked at his friend. The poor cat couldn't even scream from the pain. All he could manage was a whisper.

"Yeah, Natsu." He said, his eyes beginning to roll back in his head. "I'll be okay. Just- just beat up that jerk for me, okay?"

"You got it." Natsu said right as Happy lost consciousness. Lucy made a sort of whimpering noise.

"Is he dead?" She whispered.

"No." Natsu said, shaking his head. "You heard him. He's going to be okay. He just needs a little rest is all."

"Thank God." She breathed, beginning to wince again from the pain. Natsu had to remember that she wasn't used to this kind of injury. She was still delicate.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"It hurts." She replied with tears. He knew she was feeling so much more than that at the moment, but he understood that those were the only words she could find at the moment.

"It'll be okay." Natsu said. "I promise."

Then the dragon slayer shifted his attention back to Erza, Gray and Fane who were still in a face off. Fane was crouched over from a combination of his injuries and overexertion, already looking half dead. He was bleeding and burnt all over from the Fairy Tail wizard's attacks and was barely standing on his feet. He was breathing hard and every movement seemed to be a massive labor for him.

"Natsu, are you guys okay?" Erza called over to him, not taking her eyes off the enemy.

"We're good." He replied, raising his voice. He tried to stand up, but a cutting pain in his spine caused him to collapse roughly back to the floor. "I might need a bit of time to recover though."

"Understood." Erza replied. Her and Gray would just have to finish off Fane on their own. It shouldn't be that difficult considering the state he was in.

"What the hell are you playing at, man?" Gray shouted at Fane. "I thought you needed Lucy as your monster sacrifice. But you just tried to kill her!"

"I wasn't trying to kill her." Fane wheezed. "My attack was merely to distract each of you long enough so that I could take at least one of you out when you weren't expecting it. And my plan succeeded. Your precious dragon slayer is down for the count."

"So you knew we would succeed in saving her." Gray muttered. "I'm really starting to hate it when lunatics use that against us."

"No." Erza said, causing everyone to look at her. "There's more to it than that. Your plan was still too risky. There's no way you could know for sure that we would be able to protect Lucy."

"Aren't you the clever one?" Fane cackled.

Erza growled, requiped into her Purgatory armor and held her mighty blade up to Fane's neck. The spikes on the blade rubbed against Fane's blood stained pale skin, slicing in and causing even more red to drip from his neck.

"You will tell me what is really going on here, or I swear I will end your life here and now." Her eyes were wide with intensity as she spoke the words to Fane in a harsh commanding rasp.

"I don't need the girl's life for the sacrifice. I just let you fools believe that." He said with a smirk, blood oozing from his busted lip. "The only thing I need is her blood. Celestial Wizard blood."

"What?" Gray said shocked.

"Celestial Wizard?" Erza echoed.

Taking advantage of their confusion, Fane acted quickly.

"Black Hole Magic: Ring of the Void!" He roared, finding strength in his weakened state.

Suddenly a ring of the same black magic exploded out from Fanes sides, growing larger and larger at it expanded outwards. The ring pushed both Erza and Gray backwards, away from Fane and severely injuring them as the blackness touched their skin. The lethal spell knocked the two wizards all the way back to the walls of the cavern, slamming them against the wall, causing them to crumple helplessly to the ground.

"Erza! Gray! No!" Natsu shouted. He tried to get up, but his body was still too weak. He fell back to the floor and roared in frustration.

"Natsu, what does he mean? What's a Celestial Wizard?" Lucy asked frantically from beside him, but Natsu didn't have time to answer her question.

Fane had his eyes closed and his hands pressed together. He was chanting a spell.

"It's her blood!" Natsu screamed at his fallen comrades, who were struggling to stand back up. The horrible realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "All he needs is her blood!"

"He's casting the spell now." Erza said in comprehension, slowly blinking her eyes. With a massive effort, she pushed herself back to her feet.

"He's awakening the demon now?" Gray said in shock as he followed in suit.

"We have to stop him immediately!" Erza shouted and began sprinting towards Fane, limping as she willed her body to action. Holding a hand to her bleeding stomach, she was beginning to realize just how much of a hindrance the wound was. Looking sideways, she saw that Gray was struggling as much as she was.

"It's too late." Fane said with a twisted, ominous smile. "It's done."

He separated his hands and then brought them together again in a loud clap. As if on cue, the monster's eyes flung open.

"No." Natsu breathed out in disbelief. The monster had been standing right behind them, still as a statue the entire time. He had almost come to think of it as not real at all.

But he couldn't deny it any longer. The monster was alive. Once its eyes were opened, the rest of the monster slowly followed in suit. First, it twitched its long claws and then it opened its mighty jaw and revealed its rows of long sharp fangs…

"N-na-Natsu." Lucy whimpered, moving closer to him in absolute fear.

Natsu's eyes were wide as well. Fear was affecting him too. Even Erza and Gray were frozen still in their tracks. How was this happening?

"Lucy. Get away from here. Go over to where Gray is, he can protect you better than I can right now." Natsu told her, not taking his eyes off of the purplish beast.

"I won't leave you alone." Lucy protested, shaking her head. "And besides I don't think I can move with this leg…"

"Jump on one if you have to." Natsu told her urgently. "And don't worry about me. I'm not alone. I got Happy with me, don't I?"

They both glanced at the poor blue cat. Another tear was brought to Lucy's eye as she remembered how he saved her life. She nodded once at Natsu and began to hobble over to where Gray was standing. He was barely standing, but Natsu was right. Standing was still more than the pink haired boy could manage.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Fane was the one to break the horrifying silence that settled as Lucy transverse the cave to stand next to Gray. The ice mage reached out and put a comforting arm around Lucy's shoulder as they watched Fane carefully. He sounded crazed and obsessed with power. "The Original Demon is awakening. Only five more minutes and he will be revived completely."

"Why?" Erza said, finding her voice. "Why are you doing this? Do you want to die? That thing is going to kill us all!"

"I have no intention of dying." Fane said, the sick smile still corrupting his face. "Quite the opposite actually. I am going to become the most powerful wizard in existence."

"What do you mean?" Erza hissed, trying to forget about her injuries. Lucy shrunk beside Gray as his muscles tensed.

"Perhaps I should educate you in a little history lesson while our friend is still waking up and growing accustomed to his body." Fane laughed. "After so many years of solitude I would like to finally share my knowledge."

"We don't have time for this." Gray muttered at Erza.

"We stand no chance of winning here if we don't know what's going on." Erza said back. Then she turned to Fane. "Enlighten us."

"It would be my pleasure." Fane answered with a smirk. "Our story begins at the dawn of the magic era in Earthland. The number of wizards were few and the power of evil was plenty. Demons roamed the land but none were stronger or older than the Original Demon. He was the root of evil and terror in the world and left an endless flow of destruction in his wake. Earthland was on the precipice of its ruin until someone faced the monster. History does not remember his name, but there is no question that he was the strongest wizard of his time. He managed to overpower the demon and transport it to a different world so that it would never harm Earthland again."

"It was transported here, to America." Erza said in understanding.

"Yes, but it wasn't called America back then. At the time this world was nascent, at the very dawn of its existence. I doubt the great wizard would have sent the demon here had he known the life this world was destined to hold."

The monster suddenly made a noise, sort of like a wheezing sound that you might make after being deprived of air for too long. Lucy whimpered, her entire body quivering with fear. Gray was doing his best to anchor her, but all she wanted to do was collapse to her knees.

"Although the wizard had already defeated the demon when he brought it here, he had to make sure that it would stay unconscious. A very clever man, he devised a spell that would keep the monster in its dormant state. However, a spell of that magnitude was unfathomable even for the magic of the powerful wizard, so he used something much stronger." Fane continued, speaking his words with a certain vibration in his voice, as if he were speaking gospel. "There is a reason America is a world without magic. The wizard cast the sealing spell in such a manner that it would draw its power from this world. Every ounce of magic that used to exist in this world, the people, the animals, the plants, the earth, the sun, it would all be used to maintain the seal on the monster."

His words sent a shock down the spines of all the wizards, but Natsu shook his head. He didn't give a crap about any of that he just wanted to get up and make good on his promise to kick some butt. In his mind, there was still time before the monster awakened fully. They might still be able to stop it.

"So the seal that kept the demon dormant was sucking all the magic out of the world to maintain it's strength. And the spell you cast-" Erza started to say before Fane finished her sentence.

"Is the reverse of the sealing spell. I am releasing the magical bonds that bind the demon."

"And where is all that magic power going to go? All the magic that the seal has accumulated over the years has got to go somewhere." Gray asked, glancing over at Erza, who looked petrified. She already knew the answer that he did not.

"It goes back to the demon, of course." Fane said with a cruel laugh. "However, not for long. My plans do not end at awakening the demon. In a few short moments after the demon is revived, I shall cast one more spell. Once the magical transfer from the seal to the demon is complete and the demon is at its full strength, I will cast a spell that changes the direction of the energy transfer. I will steal the demon's power. All that magic, all that power the seal has consumed since the dawn of this world will go to me. I will be more powerful than any being in existence! I will be stronger than a god!"

His mad, evil laughter echoed throughout the cavern, accompanied by the noises of the demon. That was his plan. He never wanted the demon, he just needed the power that came from the seal that kept it dormant. It was only a small inconvenience that the seal power would be transferred to the monster first, an inconvenience that could easily be bypassed by a simple spell.

"So that's your plan." Erza said to herself. Then she looked back up, directly at Fane with a look of renewed determination in her eyes. "You've controlled and hurt people all for your selfish desire for power. We are Fairy Tail wizards! And we will not allow you to continue!"

Erza bared her swords and began to make her move.

"Stay behind me, Lucy." Gray said to his blonde friend as he took a step forward as well. The two wizards had only made it a few paces before a blood curdling roar stopped them dead in their tracks.

The Demon was awake. Fully awake. And it let out a massive roar that shook the underground cavern to its core. The roar wasn't a threat or a call to make its presence known, it was merely a moan to the giant beast, the same sort of sound you might make while stretching after a long night's sleep, but projected from the monster's mighty jaw it was an earth-shattering bang.

"It's time." Fane whispered to himself, brimming with crazed excitement. "But first, I suppose the Original Demon must be put to good use."

The monster had blood red eyes that looked like they were perpetually angry. It turned from left to right, examining his surrounding, creating gusts of wind as he rotated his mighty shoulders. The humans were merely ants to the monster. But still, in the eyes of giants, ants are made to be stepped on. The demon caught a glimpse of Erza and Gray first. He grinned with a sick sort of satisfaction and opened his mouth.

For a moment, nothing happened as the monster stood there with its jaw wide open. Erza and Gray had just enough time to wonder what was happening until a blast erupted from the back of the monster's throat. It was a purplish black beam that looked like a dark liquid flame. It came at the wizards so fast they had no time to react. One second there was nothing and the next there was a great force pushing them back as if they were flies. Gray barely had time to push Lucy out of the way before the blast hit him with deadly force that took all the air out of his lungs.

"NO!" Natsu yelled as he watched his friend's limp bodies get flung back against the wall. When the monster released the blast, their bodies dropped to the floor like rag dolls. Lucy gasped, but she was too shocked to he make a noise.

Seeing that Erza was already unconscious from receiving the most direct part of the demon blast, Lucy scurried over to where Gray had been knocked to the ground. His eyes were half open and he was struggling to breath.

"Gray, Gray are you okay?" She asked as she knelt down next to him, finding her voice, feeling ridiculous to have even asked that question.

"I'll be… fine." He wheezed. More tears welled up in Lucy's eyes as she was just beginning to recognize their inevitable doom. Completely over her head and out of her depths, she collapsed onto Gray's chest and buried her face in his sweat soaked shirt.

"Don't cry… Lucy." He said to her softly. "I know… it seems pretty… bad right now, but there is still… hope."

Lucy lifted up her head so that she could look him in the eyes.

"I don't see any hope." She said, shaking her head.

"I do." Gray said even quieter than before. With the last of his strength, he tilted his head over to the side, so that he had a clear view of a certain pink haired dragon slayer. "And he's right over there. Keep faith in him, Lucy. He's… going to… need you… by his side."

After Gray choked out the last of his words, his eyelids finally drooped closed. Lucy's heart jolted in fear, but she let out a small sigh of relief when she was still able to feel his pulse. She looked over to where Natsu was struggling to stand up, hoping and praying more than anything that Gray was right.

Natsu tried to bring himself to his feet again, but it was no good. He collapsed back onto the hard stone floor. The wound on his back had begun to numb over with pain, but Natsu still didn't have enough stability to stand on two feet. He had to do something. Happy was unconscious. Gray was defeated. Erza was down. Lucy was injured and scared out of her mind. It was up to him now, but he couldn't even stand up.

 _What the hell are we going to do?_ Natsu thought in desperation. For a moment his frantic thoughts flew around from the looming monster, to Fane, to Lucy, and to his friends, but then a steely calm settled over him.

He just needed a little more time. And then he would stand up. And he would fight.

 _And we are gunna win._ Natsu swore to himself. Then he looked at all his fallen comrades. _No matter what happens,_ _I have my friends with me. There's no way I'm going to lose._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hope you enjoyed another long chapter! As I was reading this back, I kind of shocked myself by how big of a tone shift there is, but oh well, this stuff is fun to write.**

 **I bet you thought what Lucy said about black hole evaporation was a load of nonsense, but it actually is a real thing. I learned about it in the Astronomy class I took this past semester in college and I guess that piece of information stuck. Of course I stretched the details a little bit, but go ahead and look it up if you want to because it actually is sort of cool.**

 **At first I boringly titled this chapter "The Original Demon", but I changed it to "Stand Up" at the last second because I thought it was much more fitting thematically (and plot-wise of course).**

 **You all are always so nice to me in the reviews, I can't believe it. I love you so much.**


	18. Chapter 17: We'll Die Together

Chapter 17

We'll Die Together

Lucy thought she knew what terror was. She had experienced it the night when a man fired a gun in her direction and she experienced not too long ago when a gang of men surrounded her in the forest. She thought that was as bad as fear could get.

How naïve she was.

Lucy's leg stung with intense pain; on any other day it would keep her wailing in agony for hours, but currently it hardly compared to the torment that was going on in her head after seeing unspeakable things. The numb pain of her wound wasn't the reason she laid tensed up on the hard stone floor. She was frozen in terror.

The giant monster, more gruesome and horrifying than anything she had seen in any film, stood high and looming over her. Thorn-like spikes jutted out from its forearms and lower legs. Long thick claws extended from his fingers and horns like the devil protruded from his sickly purple skull.

Previously, she had held onto some vain hope that Natsu and his fellow wizards would somehow be able to defeat the monster and save the day, but that was all just something from the past, a vague dream stemming from her fascination with fantasy novels. Erza, Gray and even Happy were unconscious. Natsu, who had showed some fight in him, was now laying limp on the ground across the cavern with his eyes shut. The wound on his back was ten times worse than hers. It was a miracle he hadn't died from blood loss yet. They had almost defeated Fane. The Crimson Edge wizard was weak and worn down, but he had managed to awaken the demon before they could finish him off completely. The scary part was that the demon was much, much more powerful than the wizard. And Fane was going to steal that power.

The monster was beginning to move more and more, growing accustomed to the body that had been frozen dormant for so many centuries. The cavern was littered with unconcscious bodies belonging to her friends and Fane's fallen followers. The only conscious human life left in that hollow cavern was her and Fane.

She was going to die. They all were going to die.

 _But if this is my last day in this world._ A strange voice spoke in the back on Lucy's mind. It shared her pitch, but it definitely wasn't the voice she used every day. _I at least want to know the truth._

"Why?" Lucy choked out through her tears and pain. Fane looked at her with a sneer of mocking pity.

"Life's not fair then you die." He said. "Get over it, darling."

"No." Lucy said back. "I want to know why. Why am I the one who needs to be sacrificed? Why do I have magic inside of me?"

Fane laughed as his face split into a sneer.

"Finally, someone's asking an interesting question." He snarled and then coughed, spitting out blood as he did so. "However, I have more important matters to attend to than your curiosity,"

Fane held his hands together in another strange position. He wore a look of steep concentration on his face and began to mutter a few words. Lucy didn't know much about magic, but she had no doubt he was casting the spell that would transfer all of the demon's magic power into himself.

Lucy felt another tear slide down from her cheek. Nothing in her worst imagination could have produced what she had heard and witnessed today. America was supposed to have magic just like Natsu's world. She simply couldn't believe it. The only reason it didn't have magic was because some ancient person used it all up to seal away a demon that originated from an entirely different world.

She wondered briefly what life would be like if this demon never existed and America had magic. She couldn't even fathom it. Although the logical part of her brain could no longer deny all the superhuman acts she'd seen so far, they still stunned her. The ice that Gray could make out of thin air, the armor and swordsmanship she saw from Erza, and most of all the burning flames she'd seen exude from Natsu's bare hands was more than she could ever hope to fully comprehend.

But she had to do something. She had to at least _try_ to save the lives of her friends. She knew that she was going to die so what else was there to fear?

She didn't know how her brain was still working. She assumed that it was still on automatic from reading so many fiction books. It didn't matter how, but she formulated a plan.

"Answer me." Lucy demanded.

"And why should I do that?" Fane replied. His spell seemed to be taking longer to cast than he expected. There were massive gray bags beneath his eyes and his muscles were shaking with effort.

"You're in worse shape than I am." Lucy said, speaking up. "So don't try and act tough."

"The ignorance." Fane spat. "But I admire your spirit, darling. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to answer your questions as I gather the magic power necessary to complete the spell."

"Thank you." Lucy said, although the words of gratitude tasted bitter on her lips.

"As I said before you have the blood of a celestial wizard. As for why the blood of a celestial wizard is required for the spell, I have no answer besides the work of destiny."

"I don't know what a celestial wizard is, but I know I'm not one. I can't use magic. I'm definitely not a wizard." Lucy shot back immediately, ignoring his talk of destiny. Fane rolled his eyes.

"A celestial wizard is a type of magic user from Earthland. A celestial wizard makes contracts with certain celestial spirts and then summons them through gates." Fane rattled off hastily. "And of course I'm aware you aren't a mage, but I never said you needed to be. The requirement for the sacrifice is the _blood_ of a celestial wizard. You're real mother, Layla, was one and so you have her blood flowing through your veins."

"What?" Lucy breathed out. "My mother…"

She knew she was adopted and that her biological mother was out there somewhere, but she thought that she would just be a normal person. She always thought that her mother was just a normal woman from America who abandoned her.

"Yes, yes, your mother." Fane said impatiently. "She wasn't any ordinary scum from this world she was a beautiful celestial wizard from Earthland. If only she wasn't married to that piece-of-trash Jude, she would have been mine…"

"You loved her." Lucy said softly. There was no mistaking that look in Fane's eyes. It was love. It was twisted and lost and corrupted, but it was love. She never would have thought that this horrible villain would be capable of such a pure emotion, but then again, maybe that's why he was so insane.

"Yes." Fane agreed. "But your dear mother never returned those feelings for me. She rejected me. I didn't understand why. I didn't understand why she would choose Jude over me. He wasn't even a wizard! He was just an ordinary man, rich and successful, but ordinary. Then it came to me. He may not have had magic power but he did have power. That was something a lowly guild rat like myself never knew. It became clear to me that if I ever were to win Layla's love, I would have to become much, much more powerful. It was then that I discovered the story of the Original Demon and learned the spells necessary to take its power for my own. The only thing I needed was the fresh blood of a celestial wizard. I knew America was a magicless world so I would need to take one with me. What better choice would there be than Layla's own daughter? You were just a one year old child at the time, so it was all too easy for me to kidnap you while Layla and Jude were sleeping. In the morning I faked your death so that they would never have the hope that their child might find them again one day. I took you with me to America and then placed you in an orphanage close by for whenever I would need your blood. Despite a few snags such as your wizard friends interrupting, my plan has gone perfectly. In just a few moments I will obtain the power I deserve and I will be able to return to Earthland, use my power to control the world and force Layla to fall in love with me! I'll kill Jude and any other person who gets in my way! Layla and the world will me mine!"

By the end of his speech, Fane erupted into evil laughter. It looked painful for him to do so, but he was so crazed with dreams of power to notice.

Lucy didn't know what to think. Her real parents were in a different world. She was born in Earthland. That's why she had traces of magic power inside of her. And if it wasn't for Fane she might have been a wizard herself. It was all too much. She couldn't believe that this man was in love with her mom, or that he'd kidnapped her when she was so young. Her entire life, she had been watched by him until it was time for him to take her blood. All her life, all her existence, what was it even for?

"If all you needed was my blood" Lucy stammered out slowly, "Why did you keep me alive for all this time? Why don't you just kill me now that you have what you need?"

"Oh my dear child." Fane said softly, an eerie tenderness accompanying his voice. "I would never kill you. I love you. You're Layla's daughter. I'll take you back to Earthland with me and the three of us can be a family."

A shiver was sent down Lucy's spine as her eyes widened in fear at the prospect. Fane continued to speak, looking at her like she was his own child.

"I'm so sorry, darling that I couldn't be there for you as you grew up, but I couldn't distract myself from my mission nor could I deprive you of growing up in the sunlight with other humans. Don't you see? Everything I've done, I've done out of love for you and your mother."

"Do you honestly think that my mother would forgive you for everything that you've done?" Lucy spat out at him.

"Yes. I will have nearly infinite power and return home with her long lost daughter. She will welcome me with open arms."

Lucy shook her head. She was clearly dealing with a lunatic, but she did honestly believe that he was in love. It was an emotion that could drive people to do the craziest things and as Lucy looked around at her friends, she realized that the same stood true for her.

"Once you get your power from the monster and leave it powerless." Lucy said, her voice sounding much calmer than she expected. "Will you… will _we_ go straight back to Earthland?"

Fane looked at her in interest.

"What are you asking me, darling?" The glint in his eye told Lucy he already knew.

"The demon has awakened and you're getting your power now." Her voice was raspy and she was breathing hard. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and dripping into her mouth. They tasted like salt and blood. "You can take me back to your world, but please spare my friends. I'll- I'll make sure they won't follow us back to your world. You can do whatever you want there, but leave America alone. You have no use for it anymore so please, let my friends live."

Once she finished speaking, she felt a horrible weight in her chest. She knew exactly what she was doing. She hated herself for it but she knew it was what she had to do. She knew that she was condemning Earthland to the wrath of Fane and she knew that he was going after Layla, her real mom, and was planning on killing Jude, her biological father. But she also knew that she had good parents here. She had her classmates, Pierre, Erza, Gray, Happy, and she had Natsu here in this world. Earthland wasn't her home. Home is where her family is and the only people she could truly call family were either back at her mansion or laying on the cavern floor next to her. She knew that she was going to lose them, but at least she was going to save them. When she would get taken by Fane to Earthland, at least her friends and family here would be alive. That knowledge would make it all okay.

"Interesting." Fane said. "It would be rather annoying if those Fairy Tail pests interrupted my Earthland homecoming. By then of course, I will be far more powerful, but to have them spill out all my secrets would be inconvenient. That's why I was planning on killing them but I suppose if you could guarantee their eternal confinement in America I would allow it, as a gift to my sweet Layla to know that I did something nice for her daughter."

"They have a portal- I think they called it an anima- that takes them back to their world. It's their only chance at going back. It would be easy from me to stop them."

"Very well." Fane said with a nod. "I shall spare you and your friends then. However, know that if you are lying to be in any way, I shall ensure that your deaths are long and painful. Especially for the noisy boy with pink hair."

"I understand." Lucy said. She swallowed again. "Thank you."

Fane turned away from her and took a deep breath of his own.

"Now, my preparations are complete. It is time for the final phase." He then raised his voice to a thunderous roar. "May the God of Demons grant me the power to take the essence of the Original and transfer it to my own vessel. Black Hole Magic: Energy Transfer!"

Suddenly an aura of black began to surround the Original Demon and then it was slowly sucked away as if something was pulling a shadowy cloak off its skin. The blackness began to rapidly surge towards Fane, who stood with his arms wide. Lucy watched on in horror. More and more blackness moved into Fane, but the energy source showed no signs of stopping. At the beginning, Fane was smiling as he received the power. His wounds had even started to heal and he began to look stronger.

However, the stream of darkness did not relent. The demon didn't start to look weaker. It just started to look angry. Fane's expression shifted from excitement to concern as more and more power rushed into him. He held his hands up to the sides of his skull.

"How much power does this monster have? It's overwhelming." His voice was drowned out by the whooshing noise of rushing power.

Fane started to moan in pain. The monster still seemed to stand strong. Then Fane's moaned grew into yells. He screamed and screamed.

"It hurts! Too much power. IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" His screamed were high pitched and sliced through the air like knives. Chills were sent down Lucy's spine in fear. It was like something out of a horror movie. Fane's body was contorting and convulsing in pain. Was this supposed to happen? Was something going wrong?"

"It's too much for him." A voice from beside Lucy said suddenly. Lucy jolted her head over in shock.

"Natsu!"

He was awake. She watched as Natsu walked across the cavern towards her and then knelt down in a crouch. His vest was disintegrated during Fane's attack and it had fallen off. Although he was shirtless, his white scarf was still wrapped around his neck. His careful eyes watched Fane as he writhed in pain, blackness still flowing into him.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" He asked, still watching the enemy.

"Yeah." She said. A moment earlier this would have been a lie, but now that Natsu was awake she felt better. They might actually make it out alive thanks to her deal with Fane.

"Could've fooled me." Natsu said, looking at her with unmistakable disappointment. "What were you thinking, making that stupid deal with Fane?"

Lucy looked at him in shock. To her surprise she felt a little bit of anger too. It took all her courage to arrange a way for them to live with that psychopath. She saved all of their lives! Natsu should be grateful.

"I was just thinking about a way for you to get out of here alive."

"And you were just going to let Fane go and destroy Earthland?" Natsu asked looking right at her. There was a look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. She remembered when she first met him, she described his soul as a gentle sort of fire. How wrong she was. His eyes unmistakably held raging flames in them, fierce with a determination Lucy didn't know existed in real people. His soul was a full on inferno.

"I- I didn't know what else to do." She said softly.

"I know you just found out that we're wizards." Natsu said. "But one thing you should learn right now is that Fairy Tail wizards don't give up and we don't turn our backs on our friends. There's no way I'm gunna hang back here while this bastard destroys my home. I'm going down fighting. And I'm taking that demon freak with me."

Natsu stood up and stared down the monster. It towered over him like a sky scraper, but Natsu didn't waver. Lucy looked at him in awe. Either he was the bravest man she'd ever met, or the stupidest.

"I still don't understand what's going on." Lucy said quietly. "Is Fane's spell supposed to be like that?"

"No." Natsu answered. "He overestimated how much magic power that monster has. No way he could fit it all inside of him. Looks like your deal with Fane wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"So does that mean..?" Lucy trailed off, looking at Fane, who was still screaming.

"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "He's going to die."

"But-"

"There's nothing we can do now for him." Natsu answered her question before she could find the words to form it herself. "I'd try to stop the spell if I could, but it's not something that you can reverse."

"NOOOOO!" Fane groaned in agony. He had fallen to his knees and was clawing at the stone ground in pain. "IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS! LAYLA! LAYLA I'M SORRY! I'M SO SOR-"

Suddenly Fane's screams were cut off. The stream of blackness terminated and all of the power surged back into the demon. Fane fell face first into the ground.

He was dead.

Lucy covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with shock. Fane's body was a crumpled heap on the ground.

And as his life left him, so did any hope Lucy had of escape.

All the magic power had returned to the monster. All the magic power that it'd collected since the dawn of this world was inside the demon's massive body. He had the aggregate power of the entire world.

And she thought it'd been frightening before.

"Poor bastard." Natsu said looking at Fane's dead body. "He bit off a bit more than he could chew. I almost feel bad for him. But then again he did hurt Lucy so I guess it's better he died before I got around to dealing with him myself."

"Natsu." Lucy whispered as she slowly stood to her feet. The wound on her leg hurt, but she would just have to tough it out. "We have to get out of here while we still can. Maybe if we can sneak away before the monster notices us-"

"Right." Natsu nodded. "Lucy you go. I'll beat up this monster and then meet you outside."

"What?!" Lucy almost screeched before she remembered that it was best to be quiet at the moment. "Are you crazy? You can't fight that thing!"

"And I can't run away either." Natsu said. "Even if we do manage to drag out Erza, Gray and Happy with us, that monster isn't just going to stay down here and go back to sleep. It'll go out into the world and start some serious destruction. We're gunna have to fight it sooner or later. I pick sooner."

"But you're injured! If you're so dead set on fighting it, at least wait until you're fully healed or have Gray and Erza with you!" Lucy pleaded. She still didn't want Natsu to fight regardless, but if she could get him to walk away and cool his head a bit maybe they could come up with some kind of plan.

"There isn't time." Natsu replied. "If I wait for Gray and Erza to wake up, then the demon could have already destroyed half of this world. As for me being injured, you got a point. I can't fight like this."

Lucy nodded, feeling some kind of victory that he had come to his senses.

But she was not expecting what he did next. Natsu lit a fire in his palm and the slapped the flame against his lower back, right on top of his wound. He winced in pain, but held back from screaming. The flame sizzled the exposed flesh on his back, charring it slightly.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I can't keep losing any more blood. This will stop the bleeding." He said through gritted teeth. Then he let the flame extinguish and to Lucy's surprise the wound had stopped bleeding.

"That's barbaric." She said quietly to herself, but on the inside she was really admiring just how tough Natsu was. But still, no amount of tenacity could justify what he was planning.

Lucy opened her mouth to protest further, but the monster roared right as she was about to do so. The noise was so loud it shook the entire cavern and made Lucy's ears feel like they were being ripped apart. She clapped her hands to her ears and winced as the vibrations shook the ground she was standing on. It was like an underground earthquake. And that was just its roar.

"Alright that's it." Lucy said. "We need to go NOW."

"Oh man." Natsu breathed out, not paying any attention to her. Lucy followed his gaze.

The monster was moving around now, shaking the ground with every one of its heavy steps. It sniffed the air and made a rumbling noise. Then, looking almost ape-like, he reached down to the floor and picked up Fane's limp body. He brought the small form up to its nose and sniffed. Then, to Lucy's horror, the monster opened his mouth and tossed Fane's body inside.

The monster chomped on his bones, making a horrible screeching noise that sounded like metal scraping against metal as he grinded the body into a pulp. After a few moments, he swallowed.

"Oh my god." Lucy whimpered.

"That's seriously nasty." Natsu said looking pretty disgusted.

"It hasn't eaten in centuries." Lucy whispered, instinctively moving closer to Natsu. "And he's getting a taste for human flesh."

Slowly but deliberately, the monster picked up the body of one of Fane's fallen minions and shoved him into his mouth as well. Human blood dripped from the thick lips of the demon. His eyes were hungry, craving more.

"That guy was still alive." Lucy said, freezing to the spot, all thoughts of escape nullified by fear.

"SO YOU LIKE EATING PEOPLE, HUH?!" Natsu roared from beside her. "WELL THEN GET A TASTE OF ME, YOU GIANT FREAK!"

"Natsu, No!" Lucy screamed, but it was too late. Natsu sprung forwards and started running towards the demon. He jumped high into the air, but his leap only brought him to the monster's knees.

"Fire Dragon: Wind Attack!" Natsu yelled and unleashed two whips of flame at the monster's right knee joint. It didn't even flinch. Instead, it kicked out his leg and sent Natsu flying towards the opposite wall. The wizard hit the ground with a thud and Lucy gasped. Was he okay?

To her surprise, Natsu brought himself to his feet rather quickly.

"Go Lucy." Natsu ordered. "Don't worry about me, just get yourself out of here."

"I-I-" Lucy stammered. She looked at the monster, who had forgotten about Natsu and was picking up another unconscious body to munch on.

"GO." Natsu yelled at her.

"What about the others?" Lucy asked, eyeing their friends bodied on the floor. They could be the monster's next snack…

"I'll protect them!" Natsu said. "You're injured and too weak to carry them out with you. Just take care of yourself. I'll handle the rest."

Lucy started to cry again. Why did she have to be so weak? Why did she have to be so helpless? Natsu was right. In her condition, she wasn't even strong enough to carry one of her friends to safety. But at the same time she didn't want to leave…

Natsu was running forward at the demon again. This time he jumped onto the monster's leg and climbed him like a monkey.

"Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!" She heard Natsu's faint yell. There was a flash of fire, but the monster didn't even flinch. It shook its massive shoulders and sent Natsu flying to the ground.

He hit the floor hard and Lucy waited to make sure that he moved again. Natsu stood up.

"Come on, Lucy. What are you waiting for?" He called out to her, sounding more desperate than before.

That was when she realized that she couldn't leave. Because she knew that if she left now, she would never see him again.

"I'm not leaving without you!" Lucy yelled back, making up her mind.

"You have too!" Natsu roared as he resumed his attack against the monster. He flung all sort of attacks at the demon, but the all failed to have any lasting effect. This time the monster picked Natsu up and threw him at the ground. For a brief moment, Lucy though that it was going to eat him on the spot, but thankfully it seemed the monster didn't want to eat something that was still moving.

It took Natsu longer to stand up this time. But he did. Somehow, Lucy got the feeling that the stubborn idiot would always get back up.

"Natsu!" Lucy called and started to run towards him again.

"Stay away, Lucy!" He called back to her. She stopped running. "Why won't you leave?" He asked, his voice shaking with agony.

"I may not be a Fairy Tail wizard." She said through her tears. She was tired. Every muscle of her body ached. Her head was tormented with grotesque images and an even more horrifying reality. She could leave now if she wanted to. She could see the sun again. But she chose not to. "I may not be a Fairy Tail wizard, but I don't abandon my friends either!"

"Luce." Natsu whispered. Then he shook his head.

Lucy didn't know what had gotten into herself all of a sudden, but she wasn't going to change her mind now. She wasn't leaving without him. That was for sure.

"Fine." He said, pounding his fist into his palm. "I guess we're in this together. I'll take down this oversized freak and then we'll leave with all our friends."

Another tear dripped down Lucy's cheek, but it was a different kind.

 _How can he be so sure? How can he still think he can beat this thing after getting knocked down so many times?_

When Lucy promised she wasn't going to abandon her friends, she wasn't thinking that they would leave together too. She knew what was really going to happen. They were still going to die.

But at least they were all going to die together.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi again! If you couldn't tell from the epic climax occurring, we are nearing the end of our story. There are only TWO chapters left (however, I could be persuaded into writing an epilogue). I know it's sad, but all good things must come to an end. One door must close so that another can open etc. etc.**

 **Stay tuned for Natsu's final battle with the demon and the ending you've all been waiting for!**


	19. Chapter 18: Worth Fighting For

Chapter 18

Worth Fighting For

Every bone in Natsu's body hurt like hell. And coming from a guy who had seen his fair share of fights, that was saying something.

Natsu had been in some rough spots before, but none of them compared to the situation he was in right now. Erza and Gray had been utterly defeated. Even Happy was unconscious and unable to cheer him on like he normally did. Lucy had sworn to stay by his side, but he could tell from the tears in her eyes just how frightened she was. Not only did he have to defeat an almighty monster and save his friends and a world he didn't even belong to, but he also had to show Lucy that she could always trust him.

However, that was going to be tough. He looked up at the demon that towered over him. He had thrown some of his best attacks at the giant wall of evil and nothing had even made a scratch. But he wasn't about to give up. He would find a way to win.

He knew that whatever pain he was feeling right now, it would be nothing compared to what was coming.

Nevertheless, Natsu charged back into battle.

After all, that was the only thing he knew how to do.

He heard Lucy take a deep breath behind him, but he had to tune her out as he focused on his target.

 _That's it._ Natsu decided. No more holding back. _It's time I show this creep what I can do._

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu yelled. He leaped up from the ground, his body entirely cloaked in flames. With the extra boost, Natsu was able to rise all the way up to the monster's ugly face. He pointed his body like a rocket a crashed into the monster's cheek head first.

"Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu yelled, not giving the monster time to register what exactly was crawling around on his face. He lashed out with a fiery kick, landing a fierce blow on his cheekbone.

The monster made a small noise, but didn't seem to be hurt at all.

"How about this?!" Natsu roared, just getting started. Maybe he just needed to aim for a weak spot. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

The dragon slayer unloaded a giant fireball, throwing it directly at the monster's right eye. It hit dead on and the monster let out a roar of pain.

It worked! But Natsu could only celebrate for a moment before the monster retaliated, thrashing his head to the side, shaking Natsu off, sending him flying to the floor. As he staggered back to his feet, he looked to see just how much damage he'd done. To his dismay, the demon's eye wasn't even bleeding or burnt. It was just a bit red and puffy. Almost like the monster had allergies.

"You gotta be kidding me." Natsu huffed, gasping for air from all his efforts.

The monster turned to look at him directly.

 _Great. All I did was get him to acknowledge me. I must've pissed him off._ Natsu thought, racking his mind to come up with his next move.

But thinking wasn't really Natsu's style, so he just took a deep breath and charged after the demon yet again. But this time the demon wasn't going to let Natsu get that far. It pulled back one of its mighty arms and swung forward the moment Natsu was in range. He batted the fire wizard to the side as if he were a bothersome fly, sending him flying again. As the demon hit him, one of its claws scraped against Natsu's side, slicing his skin open in a diagonal wound stretching from his belly button to his arm pit.

Natsu let out a pained yell as he hit the floor once more. The monster let out a roar of satisfaction.

"Damn it." Natsu cursed, rolling over on his side, holding a hand to his fresh injury. When he pulled his hand back it was bright red with blood.

"Natsu!" He heard Lucy's voice call out. "Natsu, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He grumbled.

He pressed his bloody hands to the ground, pushing against the stone to bring himself to his feet, but he fell back to ground as spasm of pain from his side jolted through his entire body. It wasn't until then he realized how deep the wound actually was.

He would just have to suck it up and worry about that later.

He punched the ground, splitting the skin of his knuckles against the solid stone. A little more blood hardly mattered at a time like this. He forcibly pushed himself to his feet. His chest heaved as he stood, his mouth gaped as he tried to get as much oxygen to his lungs as possible.

His bare chest was bloody and bruised and the same covered his face. His normally spiky bangs fell over his forehead, grazing his eyes as they were stained with the red liquid.

"I ain't done yet." Natsu vowed. He ran towards the monster, who seemed to be waiting for him to shakily get up. The monster let out a snort and knocked Natsu to the ground again with ease.

This time Natsu was sure he felt several bones in his body break. However, there was so much pain all over his body, he couldn't tell where his breaks were. This time it was taking him a while to stand up. In the distance, Natsu was pretty sure he heard someone calling his name, but he couldn't think clearly enough to respond. His vision was getting blurry and the dizziness in his head would not go away.

Looking up from the floor, he saw something large and dark coming closer to him. It was a giant clawed hand and it was reaching for him. He heard a scream in the background as long sharp claws closed around him. His limp body was grabbed by the demon and he was lifted into the air.

Suddenly, his brain clicked back into action thanks to some crazy survival instincts and he understood what was going on. The demon was trying to eat him. It probably thought that he was dead and was now having him for desert. He had to do something fast. But what?

 _One thing's for sure is that if I do die, I sure as hell ain't going down like this._ Natsu growled inside his head. Being eaten alive must be the worst way to go.

The monster opened its mighty jaws and dropped Natsu inside. He landed softly on a saliva-soaked tongue that wiggled around, brushing Natsu's skin, tasting his sweat. The monster tilted back its head so that the human would fall down its throat and into his stomach.

The dragon slayer regained control of his body just in time to grab hold of the monster's tongue, preventing himself from sliding down the thing's esophagus.

 _How am I supposed to get out of here?_ Natsu thought wildly. The monster had closed its mouth, so he was trapped in complete darkness. He lit a flame to be able to see, but it hardly did him any good. He was surrounded by slimy saliva, red gums, and pearly white fangs opening and closing, trying to chew their food. The monster threw its tongue around, trying to shake off the human, but Natsu held on tight.

 _Well, I guess this brings me back around to good ole plan T._ Natsu grinned as he gathered up a good deal of his magic power. The he let it all out.

"FIRE DRAGON'S EXPLODING FLAME BLADE." He roared, sending masses of flames surging out inside the demon's mouth. For a brief moment of success, Natsu smiled as he saw that he managed to burn the inside of the monsters mouth. It was good to know that it wasn't invincible after all. However, Natsu's euphoria was short lived.

Instead of just spitting him out like any other monster, the Original Demon roared. It was a roar that could be likened to that of a dragon's. The same black liquid fire that took out Erza and Gray erupted from the back of the monster's throat, exploding out into a beam, hitting Natsu at point blank range. The dragon slayer took the full force of the attack and was shot out back into the cavern. Natsu crashed into the stone floor at an incredible speed.

His whole body exploded in agony all over. It hurt too much to even make a noise. It was all he could do to not lose consciousness right then and there. His eyelids began to fall and he used all of his remaining force to keep them cracked open.

Through thin slits, he saw Lucy run towards him and kneel down beside him in worry. Her warm brown eyes were thick with concern.

"Natsu! Natsu, are you alright? Say something!" She whispered frantically. She reached her hands down to touch either side of his face. She kept his eyes connected with hers.

"The bastard's gunna pay." Natsu groaned. "That really hurt."

"That's it." Lucy said, shaking her head. "I can't take this anymore. We have to get out of here while we still can."

"No." Natsu said stubbornly. "I ain't done yet."

"Yes you are!" Lucy insisted. "You tried to fight him, but you aren't strong enough. No one is!"

"I don't care. I'm going to beat him."

"Damn it, Natsu, stop trying to play the hero! I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself trying to beat this monster." Lucy said in desperation, tears falling from her eyes. "We aren't talking about a character in our English book anymore! This is real life Natsu, and sometime you can't win!"

Natsu opened his eyes fully, looking directly at her. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Lucy was referring to that book they read in Mr. Garret's English class. More specifically, she was thinking about the discussion they had in class.

 _"Don't tell me you're claiming to be some sort of hero."_

 _"All I know is that if someone I cared about was in danger, yes I'd do whatever I could to save them. But I'd also find a way to do it without forsaking the rest of the world."_

 _"A bold claim, but I think you are missing an essential point here. Life isn't always going to go how you plan it. There are going to be tough choices in life and you can't just run around them. Sometimes you have to choose what's more important to you."_

 _"I don't believe that." Natsu said firmly. "Sure life might get a little screwy, but that doesn't mean you just have to lie down and take it."_

 _"A hero can't just skirt around every important decision in life." Mr. Garret shot back, becoming very irritated._

 _"A real hero does make a choice: the choice to never give up!"_

Natsu sat up. Every fiber in his body protested against it, but he pulled himself up to where he was sitting at Lucy's eye level.

"I'm not saying I'm a hero." Natsu told her quietly. "I don't know anything about heroism or sacrifice, but I want you to know that I don't plan on dying. Because if there's one thing I do know, it's that you don't die for your friends. You live for them."

"Then why?" Lucy asked him weakly. "Why are you still fighting?"

"Because it's worth fighting for." Natsu answered simply.

Lucy looked at him in wonder. Her brown eyes sparkled with tears. Natsu raised a hand and wiped them away with his thumb. Lucy looked over at the monster, who was reaching for another of Fane's minions to eat.

"I gotta go." Natsu told her gently.

"I don't want to lose you." Lucy said.

"You won't."

"Because I love you Natsu." She said, not taking her eyes away from his. Natsu nodded his head.

"You won't." He repeated.

Under any other circumstances her words might have caught him off guard. Under any other circumstances he would have said them back to her immediately. Under any other circumstances he would have kissed her and they'd be happy right now.

But Natsu had a job to do.

And he didn't deserve Lucy's love until he completed it.

He stood up and faced the demon.

He knew that he was standing on his last legs. His magic power had dwindled far too much and there was no way he could survive another heavy blow from the demon again. He had to take it down now. He began piling every ounce of magic he had left into a single attack

"Fire Dragon's ROAR!" Natsu hollered throwing every bit of himself into the wide jet of flames that flew forward straight at the demon. It hit him square on the chest. Natsu kept them connected by the mighty stream of flame, pushing the monster back with his breath of fire.

When Natsu used up all of his power, he finally released the jet of flames. This time he was truly within a moment of collapsing.

But the demon was still standing.

To his dismay, the attack had done little damage. He had no power left and it seemed the demon still had plenty. The demon began gathering up his power as well. He was forming another jet black beam in the back of his throat, aiming it directly at Natsu. It was done playing now. It was planning on finishing the annoyance off once and for all.

 _This is it._ Natsu thought. He had nothing left. All the magic in his body was entirely depleted. An attack more powerful than he could fully comprehend was coming at him full speed.

What Natsu did next was purely instinct.

He ate it.

He opened his mouth wide and sucked in the beam of black as if it were a delicious flame. The darkness hit the back of his throat like the worst sort of fiery poison, searing and charring all his internal organs. Natsu gagged and choked on the attack but he kept breathing it in nevertheless.

But at the same time the blackness was burning his insides, he felt himself being filled up too. He felt his magic return to him like a familiar wave of sunlight, but there was something more, an entirely new store of magic inside of him. But this magic was dark, demonic, the exact opposite of the magic he'd known all his life.

And there was something else too. Power. Power like he'd never experienced before. He felt it flooding through his veins, flowing through every pore of his body. Then the pain started to go away. The blackness stopped burning his throat, it soothed it.

He gulped down the last bit of the demon's attack and wiped his mouth with his forearm.

Scale like markings formed around his eye lids and on his cheeks. An aura of flame surged around him but it was tipped with purplish black fire as well. Natsu clenched his hand into a fist and looked the demon directly in the eye.

"What better to slay a demon, than a Slayer in Demon Dragon Force?" Natsu said in a deathly calm voice. The demon looked at him in confusion. For the first time it was the look one might give to an equal. But Natsu gave the monster no time to process what just happened.

He leaped forward and gave the demon hell.

Power coursing through his veins, Natsu sprung forward again, his legs propelling him forward with ease. His fist lit up with the black tipped fire. When he was in range of the demon's face, he pulled back his arm and let it explode forward like a sling shot. His fist formed a momentary crater in the monster's face before leaving it bruised and burnt. Natsu continued to attack. He lashed out his dragon slayer magic at the monster, his flames heightened by his new demonic fire.

The demon tried to fight back, but it couldn't land any hits on the tiny dragon slayer. It thrashed at him, flinging its massive claws in his direction but all it ever contacted was air. To Natsu, it looked as if the demon was moving in slow motion, but he knew that was just because he was moving so fast.

His body felt lighter than a feather, but at the same time it felt more powerful than the most lethal weapon.

"Demon Flame Dragon's Roar!" Natsu bellowed. This time the monster yelped in pain as the force of the breath attack hit him in the gut. The roar was large and concentrated, pummeling the monster with intense force and heat.

The demon was pushed backwards and was left with a nasty wound.

But Natsu didn't stop there. Energy was still pulsating through his vein and his eyes still held such intense rage. He was angry that so many people had died. He was angry that his friends were injured. He was angry this bastard made Lucy cry.

"You're going to pay for what you've done!" Natsu roared and resumed his attack.

Blow after blow, Natsu only felt his momentum growing. The demon was helpless beneath his overwhelming power. The monster tried firing another one of its dark beams at him, but Natsu matched it with a powerful roar of his own, negating the attempt.

Natsu's head was in an entirely different place. His mind was a steel trap, only focusing on the fight and nothing else. Despite his new power, it took everything he had in him to take the demon down.

He started to feel his power begin to wear off. He had used extraordinary amounts of magic power. He had dealt a great deal of damage to the demon, but it wasn't dead yet. Natsu growled, the sound coming as a low rumble in the back of his throat.

He tensed his already contracted muscles and stared at the monster right in its eyes.

"Sorry pal." He said in a low rasp. "But you don't belong here. I'm sending you back to hell!"

Natsu gathered up all of his magic power. He mixed the light and dark of his magic into one energy source and welled the power up inside of him.

"DEMON FLAME DRAGON'S BLACK FIRE DEMON DEATH SWORD!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, unleashing all his power in one attack.

A vortex resembling a tornado of bright red flames tinted with black spiraled around him. The tip of the vortex molded itself into a sharp point that extended forward towards the demon's chest. Natsu roared loud to release all of his power into the blow. Veins popped out of his forehead as he stretched his mouth open wide in the scream. His body felt like it was exploding as he transferred every bit of strength into the massive attack.

The swirling sword of flames pierced the demon right in the heart, the black fire slicing the beast all the way through his back. The demon let out a final death wail that rattled the cavern for the final time. The noise was drowned out under the incredible rush of magic as the monster fell. Its massive body crashed onto the floor, cracking the stone with its mighty weight.

It was dead.

Natsu gasped for breath as he saw his adversary lying still on the floor. Its eyes were still open but they were rolled back into its head. Natsu's chest heaved for air and the mixture of sweat and blood continued to drip down his face.

It's over. It was finally over.

 _I did it._ Natsu thought to himself, knowing that it would hurt too much if he were to try to speak the words out loud. The scale-like pattern on his face had faded away and he felt what was left of his magic return to its familiar warm glow. Demon Dragon Force had worn off and he was his normal self again.

And that meant he felt just how much his body was hurting. Suddenly, he felt his legs start to wobble. In the next moment they gave out completely and he fell to his knees. His mind began to feel dizzy again. All the blood loss was getting to him and he had a splitting migraine. His vision started to get fuzzy. Now that he completed his purpose, his body was losing the will to stay awake.

He held sleep off for a little longer, though. He tilted his head to the side to where Lucy was sitting on the ground. Her eyes were still round with fear, but she was okay.

That made Natsu smile.

That was the last thought he had before the darkness came crashing over his eyes.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Well, there you have it folks. The demon has been defeated and both worlds are safe! That means we only have one more chapter left to wrap everything up.**

 **Quite a few people have already reviewed, telling me that they want an epilogue. That is certainly the best way to make sure you get one, so hurry onto the review section and let me know if you want more.**

 **I'm getting just a little bit emotional now that this story is almost over. Or maybe that is just because winter break is almost over for me and I am sad.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, you guys are the most amazing people ever. I can't wait for you to see the final chapter, I promise it won't disappoint, but you may need to break out a box of tissues while reading it! Ha ha, just kidding... or am I?**


	20. Chapter 19: With All the Love I Have

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Here it is, the final chapter! I'm so excited for you guys to read this, I just had to write a little note here before you do. There are no words to describe how much I love this chapter. Please enjoy and make sure you read the author's note at the end! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 19

With all the Love I Have

 _Natsu had returned to his desk in history class. Their teacher was giving a lecture while Natsu dozed off. He looked so happy and peaceful. He wore an innocent smile on his face and his rosy pink hair only added to his sweetness._

 _But then the teacher turned into a giant disgusting monster. He grew miles tall into the air and sprouted devilish horns accompanied by an evil glare. All the other students in the classroom disappeared. Then the classroom disappeared as well. It was just her, Natsu and the monster and they were surrounded by pitch black darkness._

 _However, Natsu was still sleeping. He had to wake up! He had to do something! Lucy's heart was racing with fear as sweat started to drip down her forehead._

 _Natsu, wake up! Lucy tried to yell, but no sound came out of her mouth. Wake up! She said again, but once more there was no noise._

 _NATSU, WAKE UP! She hollered inside her mind, but still everything was silent and dark._

 _Suddenly, Natsu's eyes flew open but they weren't his normal dark, warm color. They were bloody red and full of evil._

 _Lucy screamed but she still could not produce any noise._

 _Natsu stood up, but he was different. He was angry and scary. Then, he started to change too. Natsu grew taller and his skin changed colors. Spikes grew from his forearms and horns sprouted from his skull. He opened his mouth, revealing canines too sharp for a human, and let out a high pitched maniacal cackle._

 _Natsu had changed into the demon. He started coming for her. He bared his fangs and reached for her with his dagger-like claws-_

"Lucy, wake up! You need to wake up, Lucy!"

Lucy jolted awake and sat up quickly, flinging her startled eyes open.

She swung her head around wildly, breathing hard as she tried to figure out where she was. The last thing remembered she was being in the cavern and Natsu… Natsu… where was Natsu?

She was in a stark white hospital room. She was dressed in a patient's gown and was situated in a warm hospital bed. Bandages were wrapped around her injuries and she was connected to an IV. A little monitor beeped as it recorded her quickened heart rate.

"What happened?" Lucy whispered to no one in particular. It wasn't until someone answered her question that she noticed a concerned nurse with long brown hair standing beside her bed.

"You had a terrible accident in the woods." The nurse said gently, looking very sympathetic, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You fell from a cliff and landed on some rocks. That was two days ago. A young man with black hair brought you to the hospital, but he wouldn't say what his name was. Is he one of your friends?"

Lucy stared off into space for a moment, her brain trying to process what was going on. The last thing she remembered was Natsu fighting the demon. He had eaten one of the monster's attacks and that made him glow with an aura similar black flames. He had suddenly gotten stronger and with his new power, came a new feeling as well. The energy Natsu had given off, it was truly frightening. It made him almost seem demonic himself. What had happened to him?

He killed the monster and then passed out. Lucy tried to go to him, but she was too exhausted herself. She fainted before she could get close to him. The next thing she knew she was waking up here.

 _A young man with black hair… that must be Gray._ Lucy reasoned. _He must have woken up and taken me out of the cavern and to the hospital, lying about how I got my injuries. Where was he now though? And where was Natsu? Why weren't they here?_

"Yes." Lucy said quietly. "He's my friend. Do you know where he went?"

"I don't, but he did leave you this note." The nurse said, handing her a thin sheet of paper. "You were having a nightmare, so I woke you up from it. Don't worry, you are going to recover from your injuries completely. Just to let you know, your parents have been here for the past few hours with you while you were asleep. They returned home for a while to eat and shower, but I expect they'll be back soon."

"Thank you." Lucy whispered, clutching the note in her hand.

"I will leave you to rest then." The nurse said kindly. "Please try to relax."

As the nurse left the hospital room, Lucy realized just how tense her shoulders were. If she looked in the mirror she would probably see bags beneath puffy red eyes and a face that still appeared terrified to death. And Lucy did feel like death. Every muscle in her body was sore and her head was pounding with a headache. Her mind was flooded with memories of past events. Flashes of demons, magic and blood dominated her thoughts. She still shivered with the thoughts. It all seemed like a horrible nightmare, but somehow it was so much worse. Knowing that there was such evil in this world rattled her to the core.

And Natsu. After she discovered he was a wizard, she thought that he would never be able to surprise her again. She was wrong in the worst possible way. There was so much anger and violence in his eyes; she didn't know if she even knew who he was anymore. What if eating the demon's attack changed him permanently? Was that why he left her in a hospital alone? Or maybe he didn't make it out at all? What if he…

Unable to torture herself with any more speculation, she unfolded the piece of paper delicately in her hands. Her eyes went directly to the sloppy signature at the bottom of the page. It was from Natsu. Her eyes began reading without permission from her brain.

 _Luce-_

 _I'm sorry that I have to tell you all this in a letter, but here it goes. I'm okay if you were worried. So is Erza, Gray and Happy. We all got out of the cavern okay and sealed it back up behind us. Hopefully no one ever goes back there again. The demon and Fane are dead, so our work here is done. America is safe. You're safe. I know this probably isn't the best time, but I'm going to say I told you I could do it. Anyway, Gray took you to the hospital. I would have, but that fight left me pretty beat up. I don't know when you are going to be able to wake up and read this, but I guess it doesn't matter all that much._

 _We're leaving, Luce. Our time in America is up and we have to go back to our world. Our Anima opens back up at 1:00 PM on June first. Even if you do read this before then, don't come looking for us. It's probably better for both of us if we never have to say a real goodbye. I don't know if I'd be able to leave with you standing right in front of me. That's why I'm writing this note, Luce. This is going to have to be our goodbye. You can go back to your family and normal life and I will go back to Fairy Tail. We'll both be where we belong. This last year has been one of the best of my life and you're the reason why, Luce. Damn, I'm going to miss you so much. I wish it didn't have to be this way. I guess I'm going to have to admit that you're right, Luce. This is real life. Sometimes you can't win. But maybe I can still count this as a victory because I'm so happy that I got a chance to know you. You're one amazing girl, Lucy Heartfilia. I'll miss you._

 _You're favorite Dragon Slayer,_

 _Natsu Dragneel_

Fresh tears started to stream down Lucy's face. She read the letter once more to make sure that she was reading it correctly. She couldn't believe it. She refused to believe it. Was she never going to get to see Natsu ever again? Was she not even going to be able to say goodbye? All her worries about Natsu being different or dead instantly faded away as she read the note. It was almost as if she could hear his voice in her head. The note was so irrefutable _Natsu_ and it broke her heart that this was how they were forced to say goodbye.

Lucy looked at the time and date on the clock on the bedside table. It was 12:28 on June first. Natsu and his friends were scheduled to leave in just 32 minutes. More tears rolled down her face. Erza. Gray. Happy. Natsu. She was going to miss them all so much. She wanted to scream. How was any of this fair? She just went through hell and now she had to wake up without any of her friends.

Tomorrow, she would have to go back to her ordinary life. The very thought sickened her. She didn't want to go back to her mansion. She didn't want to have to go to Martin and then college. She didn't want to live life without her friends.

She thought about a certain pink haired boy. He was wild and reckless. Sweet yet fierce. Kind yet passionate. Gentle but strong. He wasn't any ordinary person. He wasn't even ordinary for a wizard, Lucy knew that for sure. She had seen all sides of Natsu Dragneel. She'd seen the hurt little boy who was left by his father. She'd seen the lighthearted friend who was always up for fun. She'd seen the loyal comrade and the determined warrior. She'd also seen his rage. She'd seen him in his darkest form and she'd seen him at his bravest. What she'd seen him do down in the cavern scared her, but so many things scared her more.

But the thought that scared her the most was the idea of never seeing him again.

She wanted to hear his lovable laughter and listen to his long winded stories. She wanted to see his shaggy mop of pink hair and she wanted to feel the embrace of his strong arms again. She didn't care that he was reckless and temperamental. She didn't care that his favorite hobby was fighting and that his idea of a good time was being beaten to a pulp. Because that's who Natsu was.

And she loved him for it.

She loved him for all the good and bad he had in him. She loved every speck of him and she wanted to see even more so she could love that too.

But maybe the biggest reason that she loved him was because, despite what she had said to him earlier, he was a true hero. He never gave up and he kept fighting until the very end. He stayed true to his promise and saved his friends and the world. She couldn't believe that she ever doubted him. Looking back to his iron expression, full of determination and grit, she knew that she would never doubt him again. She trusted him completely. He was her hero. And he was better than any character in any of her books.

 _I don't want to lose him._ Lucy thought desperately.

But it wasn't just him she didn't want to lose. The past few days, no matter how terrifying, were exhilarating. She'd been through and came out of a true adventure. That was something she'd always wanted. She always dreamed of running away and living life to the fullest. She dreamed of adventures and danger. She'd dreamed of having close friends that she could always count on and she'd dreamed of everything in the realm of fantasy.

And she'd also dreamed of meeting her biological parents. And now she knew their names, Jude and Layla Heartfilia. She discovered that her mom was a Celestial wizard and that her blood ran through her veins. She wondered what her parents would say if they discovered that their precious daughter had been alive the whole time.

Lucy looked at the time again. It was now 11:34. Only 26 minutes until the Fairy Tail wizards were gone forever.

It was at that moment Lucy realized that in 26 minutes everything she'd ever dreamed about would be gone forever.

She swallowed deeply. She knew what she had to do.

She grabbed a blank sheet of paper that was lying on her bedside table and began to scribble on the back of it. More tears sparkled her eyes as she wrote.

 _Dear Mom, Dad and Pierre,_

 _I'm so sorry. I just want to say that I am so, so sorry. The three of you have given me so much throughout my life. I feel like the most selfish person in the world to say that it just wasn't enough. I love each of you so much, but I have to stay true to myself. For so many years I've been so lost and confused in this world. I didn't know where I fit in and I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. But now I know. I have to follow my dreams and I have to follow my heart. For the first time in my life I know which path I need to walk. I'm so sorry that it's a path that leads me away from the three of you. Dad, thank you for supporting me and giving me everything that a girl could want. Mom, thank you for your warmth and kindness. You were always there for me in my darkest moments. Pierre, thank you for being my first true friend. I will never forget all that you've done for me, nor the moments we've shared together. Thank you all so much. I love you all and I will miss you more than you could ever know. Please forgive me and know that I'm following my heart._

 _With all the love I have,_

 _Lucy Heartfilia_

Lucy's tears were overflowing now. With a shaky hand she set the letter down on the bed. After detaching the IV, she got up and found a pile of clothes in the corner. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She shoved Natsu's letter to her in her pocket and took one final glance at the letter she left lying on the bed.

She closed the door behind her.

She took a deep breath and refocused. She knew she had to act quickly. With a glance at the clock, she found that she only had 19 minutes left until it was too late.

She ran out of the hospital before anyone could stop her. She was going to find her friends. And she was going back to Earthland with them.

XXX

 _Only 8 minutes left_. Lucy thought frantically as she rushed through the grassy fields of the park.

She thanked the heavens that Natsu had told her a while ago where their portal was located. And she was even more grateful that the hospital was only a short run away from the public park where her friends would be leaving this world for good. Lucy never believed in fate or destiny, but at the moment she couldn't think of any other explanation for her good fortune.

The wound on her leg began to hurt again while she ran as fast as she could, but she didn't care. She was racing against the clock and she was determined to win. After all, it was Natsu that taught her to never give up.

 _I see it!_ Lucy cheered inside her head. Coming into view was the oak tree Natsu had described as the location of the anima. It was a tall, majestic tree with bright green leaves of summer. But Lucy was only looking for the four figures waiting below it.

Lucy's heart leapt with joy as she saw one had a bright shade of pink hair.

"Natsu!" She called out. "Erza, Gray, Happy!"

"No way." She heard Gray mumble as the caught sight of the girl hurrying towards them.

Lucy's eyes connected with Natsu's as he stared at her with disbelief. For a moment his eyes soared with happiness but then the very next he squinted them in anger.

"What are you doing here?!" He demanded once Lucy halted to a stop in front of him, directly beneath the Oak tree.

"I want to come with you." Lucy said breathlessly, looking at him with pure joy.

"WHAT?!" Erza, Gray and Happy said at the same time. Natsu narrowed his eyes into slits.

"What are you talking about?" He said. Lucy felt slightly hurt, but her mood was not completely ruined.

"I'm coming with you. I don't want to go on living my boring ordinary life. Especially not after what happened. I finally know what I want to do with my future. I want to have adventures and fun. I want to spend the rest of my days with my friends. If they'll have me I want to become a member of Fairy Tail. I have Celestial Wizard blood in my veins so I might even be able to learn how to control the magic inside me. My biological parents are in Earthland as well. I want to meet them and get to know them. I know I'm leaving behind my adopted parents and Pierre, but I'm certain they will understand. This is everything I've ever dreamed for." Lucy said all this very quickly, her heart racing even faster than before. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to slow down for a moment. "And above everything else, I want to follow you, Natsu. I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have you in it."

"You would really just leave them behind like that? They're your family." Natsu said evenly, not reacting to her speech.

"Yes, but I have to follow my own path-"

"They're your family. Max, Gloria, Pierre- they are all your family." Natsu said, raising the level of his voice. Lucy could hear the pain it too. She knew that he couldn't actually want to say the things he was saying. Nevertheless, he continued to talk to her with a forced, harsh voice. "You can't just pack your bags and leave whenever you feel like it!"

"You don't understand-"

"I DO UNDERSTAND." Natsu roared, the volume of his voice shocking everyone in the field. "I know what it feels like to be abandoned, Lucy, and it sucks. I'm not just going to let you do that to your family! You need to go back to them and I need to go back to my family. That's just how it is. I don't like it any more than you do, but at the end of the day, family is the most important thing in the world."

"Do you really think that it's not killing me to leave them?! Do you honestly believe that I don't know exactly what I'm doing?! I love them, Natsu, but I also love you. And I love Erza and Gray and even Happy. Don't you get it? I see all of you as my family too." Lucy raised her voice as well to match his pitch, not taking her eyes off of his. She saw him soften a little bit at her words. "Family isn't just about blood, it's about love. I _know_ you know that, but what I'm trying to say is that anyone who loves me would want me to be happy. My family here wants me to be happy so why are you saying this stuff, Natsu? What is this really about?"

Lucy finished her speech definitively, full of passion and emotion. She couldn't believe this was happening. When she made her decision to go, she was not expecting this. Not even close.

"Only two minutes left, Natsu." Erza said quietly, uneasily interrupting the tension.

"You almost died, Lucy." Natsu said. For the first time the pain in his voice was brutally obvious. His words softened to his gentlest tone. "You almost died and if you did it would have been my fault for making you go down in that cavern. If you come to Earthland, that danger isn't going to stop and I'm going to be the one to blame for bringing you with me. If you stay here, then you'll be safe to live the rest of your life in peace."

"But the life I would have if I stay…" Lucy responded just as softly. She took a step towards Natsu. "It wouldn't be worth living. I want to live with my life on the line every day, just like a Fairy Tail wizard. Just like you."

Natsu didn't respond, but he took another step towards Lucy as well.

"You taught me how to live, Natsu. I chose to go down into that cavern. It was my choice and despite what happened I'm so glad I made it." Lucy said. This time her face was wet by tears of joy, not pain. "You showed me how we _should_ spend our lives, Natsu. You showed me what it means to be free."

"This is real life." Natsu whispered, getting even closer to her. Lucy breathed in his scent. He smelled like a campfire with all the warmth and none of the smoke. His eyes were like coals. She could see the flickering fire in them, just waiting to explode.

"And in in real life you can always win." Lucy finished for him.

"There's only one choice." Natsu said, a smile cracking onto his face. Lucy had missed that smile so much.

"The choice to never give up." They said in unison.

Natsu closed the gap between them and kissed her passionately on the lips with his firm hands cupped around her face. Lucy curved her spine into him with pleasure and kissed him back with pure joy. Their moment only last for a few seconds before they were interrupted.

"Time to go lovebirds." Gray said as he rolled his eyes.

"They're in loooooove." Happy giggled.

"Ten seconds." Erza said, looking at her funny watch.

"You ready, Luce?" Natsu asked Lucy with the biggest grin she'd ever seen.

"I'm ready." She nodded, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest.

"5, 4,-" Erza counted down.

"You're new life starts now." Natsu said, brushing a piece of blonde hair back behind her ear.

"3, 2-"

"I'm ready." She said. And she was. Looking into Natsu's warm eyes, she truly was.

"1."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And there you have it, folks, the ending you've all been waiting for! From the very beginning of this story- before I even wrote the first chapter- this is always how I imagined** **A New World** **would end. My goal was to keep you guessing throughout the whole story about whether or not Lucy was going to come back to Earthland with Natsu, and I hope I threw enough curveballs at you so that this ending wasn't** ** _too_** **obvious. That being said, the answer was sort of right in front of you all along. When I gave this story its title, yes I was referring to the Fairy Tail wizards' adventure into America, but I was also alluding to Lucy's eventual journey to a new world of her own. I do enjoy double meanings in my titles.**

 **Now for the announcement you actually care about... I've decided to write an epilogue! Lots of people want one and besides, I know that if I were the one reading this story, I would be frustrated as hell if it ended permanently before Lucy actually arrived in Earthland. I've already started writing the epilogue and it is going to be happy, fluffy, funny and just a tad bit emotional- everything we need to wrap this EPIC tale without any loose ends. Speaking of loose ends, if you've noticed anything that I've left out or questions I haven't answered, please let me know either by either messaging me or putting your comment in the review section and I'll be sure to include it in the epilogue.**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support and I'll have the final installment of A New World up within a week!**


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

"I still can't believe this." A pretty brunette laughed with a mug of beer in one hand.

"What is it even like to kiss him?" A more petite blue haired girl chimed in with an innocent smile.

"I never imagined Natsu had a soft side to him." A gorgeous young woman with long, silky white giggled along with the group.

"So long as you stay away from Gray, Juvia approves." A much more serious female mage replied, nodding her head so vigorously that her blue curls bounced up and down.

"Is it really that weird that Natsu has a girlfriend?" Lucy laughed, putting an end to the chatter centered around her love life.

"YES." All four of the young woman shouted in unison, causing a blush to cascade across Lucy's cheeks.

She was currently sitting at a table with four Fairy Tail females that she could already see herself becoming best friends with. Much like all the other guild members, they were larger than life with their own unique personalities. There was Cana, whose upper body was only covered by a bikini top. She seemed to have a bit of an alcohol obsession, but was instantly friendly from the moment Lucy walked though the door. Next to her was Levy, who was much more similar to herself. The short and plucky mage was simply adorable with the orange ribbon that brushed back her fluffy blue hair. She also shared Lucy's passion for books and reading, reminding Lucy that she had entered a whole world of new literature where magic novels wouldn't be considered fantasy. Blowing the American girl away with her supermodel good looks, Mira already felt like a big sister to Lucy. She was super sweet and made the guild feel like a home. Rounding out the small group was perhaps the strangest of the bunch: Juvia. Her most defining feature seemed to be her obsession with Gray. Thinking back, Lucy remembered the ice mage mentioning something about a crazy girl back home and now she had no doubt that he was talking about Juvia. She was passionate and loyal and would be an extremely good friend.

Lucy laughed once more and let out a sigh of content as she relaxed in her chair.

It had only been three days since she came to Earthland and she already knew that, without a doubt, it was the best decision she had ever made. It was crazy that her heart could be filled with this much happiness, but there was no other way to explain the permanent smile that sat all day on her face all day long.

From the moment they landed in Earthland, Fairy Tail had accepted her with open arms. Not only did the members throw a party to welcome back their old members, they also celebrated Lucy's coming to their world.

The first thing she learned about Earthland wizards is that they sure did know how to party. The celebration had lasted for a full three days now and it was still going on. Every table in the large guild hall was full with wizards laughing, drinking, and dancing while a grizzly looking pierced guy with a mane of spiky black hair dominated the stage with screechy signing and below average guitar playing. Even now, it was midday and warm light was streaming in through the windows, but that didn't cause the energy of the atmosphere to relent. She looked across the guild hall and saw Natsu standing on top of a table, gesticulating wildly as he was surely retelling the story of his one year mission to America. The surrounding crowd had skeptical expressions on their faces, clearly not believing a word the fiery wizard was saying.

"Gray! Erza! Happy!" Natsu gestured to his team who had accompanied him on the mission. "Tell them I ain't lying and that there really was a giant demon monster than sucked up all America's magic power since the beginning of time and that I beat it to a pulp!"

Happy, who was sitting next to another cute white cat who could talk, just smiled at his best friend.

"Sorry Natsu, but you're on your own with this one."

"Yeah, do you even realize how crazy you sound?" Gray said from the bar, smirking at Natsu in amusement.

"If you are going to make up a story, at least make it believable." Erza joined in, smiling at the dragon slayer.

"Seriously?! You guys are the worst!" Natsu protested. He stamped an angry foot on the table he was standing on, accidently smashing the table with the force of his boot. The table crumbled into a pile of splintered wood, but Natsu didn't seem to notice. "Hey Lucy! Luce, tell them that I'm telling the truth!"

"I don't know, Natsu." She answered cheekily, playing along with the joke. "Your story does seem a little farfetched…"

"LUCE! Not you too!"

That caused the entire guild to erupt into another wave of laughter and Lucy happily joined in, feeling a nice sense of community that she never experienced before. Everyone here was always so happy and lively. It was almost like the world she had been living in before was stuck in shades of black and white while this world was painted vividly in full color. The only person in the hall who wasn't in a good mood was Natsu, who was wearing a very grouchy scowl since no one believed his story.

They had, of course, told Master Makarov all the details of their mission, but there hadn't been time to inform the rest of the guild. That moment would come eventually and Natsu would get his satisfaction, but now was the time for celebrating, dancing and laughing at the dragon slayer's expense. Gray in particular was enjoying seeing Natsu's dismay.

"Alright, that's it! You and me, snowflake, right now. Let's go!" Natsu challenged, pointing a loaded finger at his rival. "I'll show you why messing with me is a big mistake!"

"You're on, Sparky." Gray stood up accepting the challenge.

"Just don't break anything." Erza said calmly as she picked up her fork to beginning eating the large slice of strawberry cake she had sitting on the table in front of her. She regarded it with joy as she began to scoop her first bite…

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted and leaped towards Gray with an eager grin on his face. For the most part, the two boys' injuries had healed and they were ready to go at it again. Lucy winced, praying that they would hurt themselves.

"Ice Make: Cannon!" Gray hollered back, forming a large bazooka-like object in his hands that was made entirely of ice. Just before Natsu's flaming fist contacted his face, Gray fired a shot.

The explosion rang out with a bang in the center of the guildhall. A muddled mixture of laughter and nervous chatter echoed throughout the room as the smoke from the explosion cleared.

"Oh no." Levy said, covering her large brown eyes with delicate hands.

"This isn't going to be pretty." Mira agreed with a bubbly nod of her head.

"I'm sure my dear Gray will emerge victorious." Juvia declared with unwavering devotion.

"That's not what we should be worried about." Cana laughed and downed another slug of alcohol.

"What?" Lucy asked confused, trying to see what was happening through all the smoke.

When all the dust did clear, the blonde saw just what everyone was so worried about. The explosion had blown Erza's cake right off of her plate and onto the floor where it collapsed into a pile of sugary sweet mush. For a moment, devastation flickered across the red head's face, her wide eyes showing the full consequence of her loss.

"PREPARE TO DIE!" Erza screamed, requiping into her Heaven's Wheel armor as she wielded two very sharp swords. Just like that, her emotions flipped and she was ready to seek her revenge.

"Oh crap." Gray stuttered.

"Bring it on, Erza! I've been meaning to challenge you to a fight!" Natsu yelled.

The trio exploded into a three way brawl and not before long, other members of Fairy Tail joined in. Lucy saw Elfman, a giant, burly man with a transforming beast arm quickly jump into the skirmish. Not far behind was the man who had been singing poorly on stage, Gajeel. The ruckus grew and grew until nearly everyone in the room was involved. There was screaming, punching and a whole lot of things breaking as the friendly fight grew in size.

"Alright, I guess I better join in." Cana said, standing up as she pulled several magic cards out of her pockets. "It's been a while since we had a decent throw down. The guild brawls around here just haven't been the same without those three."

"What, seriously?" Lucy echoed in surprise. Was Cana seriously going to fight with them too? "Shouldn't we be trying to stop them?"

"Oh, no this happens all the time." Mira assured with an oblivious smile, wishing Cana well as she threw herself in the middle of the fight, wielding some rather impressive card magic.

"I don't know about this…" Lucy trailed off. Over the past three days, there had been some scuffles around the guild, but nothing to this scale. What if someone actually got hurt?

"I felt the same way when I first joined too." A youthful and higher pitched voice said from behind Lucy. She turned around to see that it was a young girl with shiny blue hair that was tied up in pig tails situated high on her head. She was holding the white female cat in her arms while Happy floated beside them, apparently unaffected by the fight.

"Hey! It's Wendy and Carla, right?" Lucy greeted them with a smile. "Sorry I'm doing my best to learn everyone's names."

"Don't worry about it! You seem to be doing pretty well already. I'm so bad with names it took me forever to get it right. Carla and I joined the guild right before Natsu and them left on their mission, so I'm one of the newer members myself."

"Oh good!" She replied. "I was under the impression everyone has been a member since forever. If I'm being honest, I have to say that it's a little intimidating since you all are so close."

"We are!" Wendy agreed. "And it'll be that way for you too before long. Oh, and the guild fights are just something you have to get used to."

"The idiots like to beat each other's brains in from time to time, but they always remain family." Carla added, fondly glancing over to the still raging scuffle.

"It's tough love!" Happy agreed.

"I guess…" Lucy trailed off.

Suddenly, loud bells started to chime, ringing louder than the commotion the Fairy Tail wizards were causing. Immediately upon hearing the bells, everyone stopped fighting. Natsu in particular was the first to drop what he was doing to pike up his head in interest, allowing a large smile to creep across his face.

"Gildarts!" He shouted in glee, his face lighting up like Christmas.

"What's Glidarts?" Lucy asked, confused by the sudden state of suspended surprise and excitement that had settled over the guild.

"Not, what. _Who_." Mira correct her with that familiar innocent smile.

Lucy was about to ask another question, but then Natsu suddenly appeared at her side, eyes wild with anticipation. He grabbed her hand and started dragging her towards the guild's entrance.

"Come on, Luce. You gotta see this!"

"See what?" She asked, really wanting someone to tell her what the heck was going on.

Sure enough, the rest of the guild gathered around the entrance as well. When the large wooden doors to the guild opened, Lucy could not believe what she was seeing.

Everything was… shifting. Houses and buildings were moving sideways, clearing a straight path that cut directly through Magnolia and to the Fairy Tail guild. The path formed was settled beneath the ground so that large concrete walls rose up on either side of it, creating a trail far below the rest of the town.

"It's called the Gildarts Shift." Natsu told her, squeezing her hand to snap her out of the trance-like state she was in after seeing the whole city move. "I never got a chance to tell you about old man Gildarts, but he and I are pretty tight. He's super strong too, so whenever he comes back home, Magnolia rearranges itself so that he doesn't accidentally destroy the town."

"You mean this is all for one guy?! He's powerful enough to _accidentally_ destroy a whole town?"

"Yep." Natsu said contently, vigorously nodding his head. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Sure…" Lucy echoed softly, allowing a bit of sarcasm to creep into her voice. Inwardly, however, she was smiling. If she had to guess, Lucy would say that this Gildarts fellow was probably where Natsu learned a lot of his destructive tendencies.

As promised, Lucy soon spotted the silhouette of a large, muscular man in the distance, strolling towards his guild with ease.

Suddenly, Natsu released his hand from Lucy's grip and started sprinting forward towards the cloaked man.

"FIGHT ME GILDARTS!" He shouted, causing the whole guild to smile and tense up for the inevitable outcome. "I've gotten a whole lot stronger since last time!"

Lucy held her breath as she watched Natsu go. He lit up his fist with familiar scorching red flames and surged at Gildarts with all his ferocity and power.

And then Gildarts grabbed Natsu's arm, stopping the dragon slayer's momentum completely and then threw his body like it was a feather hundreds and hundreds of yards away, sending the boy flying off into the air like a rocket. Lucy gasped in shock, not used to seeing Natsu get thrown around like that. The rest of the guild, however, found this completely normal and just laughed.

"Some things never change." Erza said, stepping up to stand next to Lucy.

"Wow, that guy is amazingly powerful and the way he dismantled Natsu like that…" Lucy stammered out in awe.

"Gildarts is the strongest member in our guild. I'm sure he's even stronger than the master." Erza said with a nod.

"Still, I suppose it's safe to say that the demon stuff Natsu ate back in America doesn't last forever."

"No, Natsu is definitely back to normal." The redhead agreed, and then added a few more words with a sly smile as she glanced at Lucy. "Well, maybe better than normal."

That got the blonde to smile, but before she could respond, Gildarts finished his journey to the guild hall and now that he was closer, Lucy was able to get a better look at him. He had slicked back orange hair that exposed a battle hardened face covered with stubble around his jaw. Although he wasn't wearing a shirt beneath that tattered brown cloak of his, the man's torso was still mostly covered by thick strips of bandages, probably covering some serious injuries. Lucy wondered what could possible injure a guy like Gildarts, but then she quickly dismissed that question as unimportant.

"GILDARTS!" Everyone shouted almost in unison and suddenly it was a mob scene almost like the fight that had been going on inside the guild hall. They all swarmed around the tall man in an enthusiastic homecoming that warmed Lucy's heart as she stepped aside to allow all the Fairy Tail members to greet their old friend. Hugs were exchanged, stories told, and more handshakes given than Lucy could count.

Eventually, however, Gildarts caught sight of the blonde girl standing off to the side by herself. He smiled and walked up to her.

"I don't recognize your face." He said warmly, extending his hand out. "I'm Gildarts, nice to meet you."

"I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you too." She replied, shaking his gigantic calloused hand with her smaller much more delicate one.

"When I heard this was about the time Natsu was coming back from his mission in that other world, I made sure to be here to welcome him back." He said in an amiable tone that was much different from his rough appearance. "But the kid greets me with a flamming fist. That's just how he is, I suppose."

"He really is something else." Lucy agreed, trying to fight the automatic blush that crept on her face every time she talked about him. And then to her horror, Gildarts adopted a sly grin.

"I saw you two holding hands." He said, leaning closer to her. "Tell me, are you the woman who finally got Natsu to acknowledge the opposite sex?"

Lucy's slight blush exploded into a complete inferno on her cheeks.

"Um, y-yes." She replied, not knowing what else to say. Gildarts let out a giant roar of laughter and put a friendly arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"I don't know how you did it, but you must be a pretty amazing person. Who would have thought that it would take a girl from an entirely different world?"

"Is it that obvious?" Lucy asked, desperate to change the subject, but also curious about what he meant by that comment. "Is it that obvious that I'm not from here?"

Gildarts slid his massive arm off of her shoulder so that he could look her in the eyes.

"Not a chance. You fit right in." He replied warmly. "I just figured you weren't from around here since you don't have the guild emblem. What do you say? I think it's about time you joined Fairy Tail for good."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. She wanted more than anything to be a member of Fairy Tail, but-

"But I'm not a wizard." She said, shaking her head.

"Magic isn't what makes a Fairy Tail member." A new voice said, joining the conversation. Lucy looked down to see that it was Makarov, the guild master. He was an extremely short old man with a white beard and mustache combo, but Lucy knew that he was widely respected around the guild and was a powerful mage himself. "Fairy Tail members are those who have large hearts and fighting spirits. Judging from the stories Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Happy have told me, you have that in spades."

"Thank you." Lucy whispered, her heart bursting with appreciation, feeling a whole new wave of excitement crash over her.

"It's time for your official induction into Fairy Tail, Lucy Heartfilia."

Moments later Lucy was standing on the stage of the guildhall in front of all the Fairy Tail members as they clustered around it. Standing next to her were Mira and Makarov. Despite knowing that this was exactly what she wanted, Lucy couldn't help but feel nervous with hundreds of expectant eyes resting on her. What if she wasn't good enough to be a Fairy Tail member? What if she let everyone down? What if-

And then she saw Natsu standing at the front of the crowd. He was smiling broadly and gave her a thumbs up. Immediately, Lucy felt all of the nerves drain away.

"We've already extended our welcome to Lucy as a friend, but now it is time for us to welcome her as a Fairy Tail member!" Makarov announced to the crowd. "We've already been celebrating day and night, but with the addition of Lucy to our ranks, Fairy Tail has become even stronger than before. And that means we need to continue the party!"

The crowd let out a unified hearty cheer as they raised their hands in the air. Lucy was smiling like an idiot, but didn't care one bit. For years and years, she had dreamed of something, but could never put her finger on what she actually wanted. But now she knew. She wanted _this_.

"What color and where would you like your guild emblem?" Mira asked sweetly.

Lucy hesitated for a moment before looking over to Natsu and his wild hair that she loved so much.

"On my hand and I want it to be… pink." She said, satisfied with her decision. This way she would have Natsu with her wherever she went.

XXX

"You really have gotten stronger, Natsu."

"One day I'm going to beat you for real, Gildarts!"

With the guild's party still raging on around them, Natsu, Lucy and Gildarts were sitting together at a table. Natsu was telling the S-rank wizard all about their mission, how he and Lucy met, and what happened down in that cavern. Lucy had just enjoyed listening to Natsu talk, taking in things from his perspective. However, she couldn't really focus too much on that because he rested his hand on her thigh throughout all his talking. His touch still made her skin tingle and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"So what do you plan on doing next?" Gildarts asked.

"We're going to find Lucy's biological parents." Natsu said without skipping a beat. "They live here somewhere in Fiore probably and they don't even know that Lucy is alive."

"Interesting." He nodded. "You know their names?"

"Jude and Layla Heartfilia." Lucy answered.

"No kidding?" Gildarts nearly choked on some of his drink as his eyes widened in surprise. "I met a Jude Heartfilia not too far back. Yeah he was a fellow working for a merchant's guild called Love and Lucky. I remember having a good conversation with him. Apparently he had a great future in business, but then his daughter died when she was young and Jude was too devastated to continue expanding his railroad company."

"That has to be him!" Natsu said. "Luce, that's your dad!"

Lucy's eyes were wide with wonder. She never thought that it would be this easy to locate her parents in this world and now with this great stroke of luck, she suddenly felt very afraid. She wanted to find her parents, but so many things could go wrong. What if they didn't want to know her? What if they didn't believe she was their daughter? What if they didn't like her?

"Luce?" Natsu asked, shaking her lightly out of her thoughts. "This is a good thing, right?"

"Yes." She breathed out. "It's just… It's just that I don't know if I'm ready."

"Of course you're ready." Natsu replied like Lucy had said the silliest thing in the world. "There's nothing to be scared of. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Really?" She said with a small smile.

"Of course. You're stuck with me forever, you know." He grinned and Lucy felt a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach, fluttering around wildly as they momentarily silenced all of her fears.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Deciding to leave immediately, Natsu and Lucy said their farewells to the other guild members, promising to return as soon as possible. Natsu received a hearty punch on the arm from Gildarts while Lucy earned a large hug from Erza.

"Good luck." She said warmly. "They are going to love you."

"Thanks Erza. You're a really good friend."

"So are you." She replied with a smile.

Gray and Natsu did their usual Gray and Natsu thing. The ice wizard nodded once at the dragon slayer with his arms crossed and an insouciant look gracing his face.

"Don't be too long, flame brain. I want a rematch when you get back."

"You got it." Natsu smirked.

The farewells wrapped up shortly thereafter. Natsu and Lucy headed out of the guild hall, accompanied by Happy who was flying next to them with his wings outstretched. The small blue cat escorted them to the train station.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along, Happy?" Natsu asked.

"I'm sure!" He chirped, giggling as he tried to muffle his laughter with a blue paw over his mouth. "You and Lucy probably want some _alone_ time."

"You don't have to- I mean we don't need-" Lucy began to stutter in embarrassment before Natsu interrupted.

"Thanks, little buddy. Much appreciated. I'll see you back at the guild." He smiled as he raised his hand in farewell.

"See yah! Have fun!"

With that, Happy flew off high in the sky, headed back in the direction they had come. Although Lucy always loved having the strange little guy around, she _was_ looking forward to a few moments alone with Natsu. After all she had a feeling that she was going to need a slice of his bravery before she would be able to finally meet her biological family.

XXX

"Yeah, no, I was right." Lucy said in an odd high pitched voice, shaking her head in a hurry. "Let's just go back to the guild. We can try again another day!"

She turned around to walk away, but Natsu reached out and grabbed her hand before she could, pulling her back to him as he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Jeez, Luce, I thought we've been over this?" He said. "They're your parents! They _want_ you to come inside."

Now that she was alone with Natsu, she didn't need to hide the fear on her face and let it show in full display. She was fairly certain that her face was pale as a ghost and that her eyes were void of any color.

"I know, I know. I'm just freaking out here! I don't know what do or what to say…"

They pair of teens were currently standing outside a mid-sized cottage on the edge of a small town. They had visited the Love and Lucky merchant's guild and asked about Jude Heartfilia. A worker there pointed them in the right direction to Jude and Layla's house and now all that Lucy was left to do was to go inside and introduce herself to her biological parents.

The only problem was that she was having a minor anxiety attack coupled with a slight emotional breakdown.

"You don't have to say much." Natsu said, pulling her closer to him so that her body was pressed up against his chest. "No matter what happens, they're your family."

"That doesn't mean I'm not nervous." Lucy sighed.

"You want me to take your mind off of it?" Natsu asked with a mischievous smirk. He ran his hands up her arms and shoulders to where they rested on her face.

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"Like this." He replied before he leaned forward and kissed her. In that moment Lucy forgot all about her anxiety and worries and just melted into the kiss. He moved his mouth gently on hers, sending new explosions of pleasure and happiness through her body.

The kiss ended far too soon as Natsu pulled away.

"You ready now?" He asked, smiling at the disappointed pout on Lucy's face.

"No." She huffed.

"Well it's no more kissing for you until we go in there and meet your parents."

"That's cruel." Lucy said, but upon seeing Natsu's unrelenting shrug and smile, she finally agreed. "Alright let's go."

"That's my girl." He said proudly, before grabbing her hand again, this time leading her up towards the house. Before she was ready he knocked abruptly three times on door and Lucy gulped, not knowing what to expect…

And then the door swung open, revealing a tall man with broad shoulders. He had blonde hair and a healthy beard. Lucy felt a jolt buzz through her as she realized this man must be her father.

"Layla." The man said softly, his voice thick with wonder and eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, dear?" A woman's voice called out from inside the cottage. "Who was at the door?"

The woman then quickly appeared beside her husband. Lucy allowed her mouth to fall open a little as she took in just how beautiful the woman was- how beautiful her mother was. She was slender with a lovely figure and had silky blonde hair tied back into a neat bun. Her eyes were large and warm, shining bright with the most beautiful shade of brown.

Lucy was awestruck. Layla was a mirror image of herself, or rather, _she_ was a mirror image of her mother. Lucy continued to stare, marveling at how they looked exactly alike except for the difference in age. Lucy felt a slight squeeze on her hand. She glanced at Natsu, who nodded his head, prompting her to say something.

"Hello." Lucy said softly, hoping that she could find the right words. "I'm- my name is Lucy and… um, I think that I'm your daughter."

She automatically tensed up as she waited for their response, wondering if they would believe her. Immediately she wished that she had put the news in a less direct sort of way as her words were met by a deafening silence that was filled only by the heavy pounding of her heart. Jude's mouth was hanging open in disbelief, but Layla held a much different expression on her beautiful face. A small tear was trickling down her cheek as her mouth broke into an unmistakable smile. That smile spelled relief for the teenage girl.

"Lucy?" She whispered, her voice shaking with a thousand nameless emotions. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah." She answered, starting to feel the tears well up around her own eyes. "It's me, mom."

Without needing any further explanation, Layla flung her arms forward to hug her long lost daughter. Lucy tucked her head in beneath her mom's neck, noticing that she was a bit shorter than the older woman. Her heartbeat slowed as a much more prominent wave of relief crashed over her.

"It really is Lucy." Jude said, still frozen in shock off to the side. "She looks just like you Layla."

Lucy pulled away from her mother's embrace to give her dad a small smile.

"Hey dad." She said. "Long time no see."

That was the last straw for the usually stern and serious man. He reached out with his large arms and wrapped them around the two woman, pulling them in for a long overdue family hug.

"And I'm Natsu!" The dragon slayer announced cheerily.

Lucy laughed at his poor timing and inability to read the mood. The two adults looked at Natsu for the first time and smiled.

"And that's Natsu." Lucy said, realizing just how much explaining she had to do for her parents.

XXX

Lucy took a sip of tea from a beautiful porcelain cup that had light blue designs curling around the base. The herbal drink was warm and fragrant. After swallowing the tea with care, she set down the cup onto a little plate and rested it on the coffee table in front of her. She sat with her legs crossed and back straight. Sitting next to her was Natsu and he, on the other hand, was lounged back on the couch with his hands clasped behind his head as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"I don't really know what to say." Lucy admitted. Her parents were sitting across from her on two separate arm chairs, waiting for their daughter to speak.

"We will start." Jude said delicately, nodding his head.

"Lucy we are so, so sorry." Layla said, unable to hold it in anymore. "Your father and I had no idea that you were still alive. We thought that you died when you were just a baby. There was a fire in your nursery room when you were only a year old and everything inside of it was burnt to a crisp. We thought there was no chance you could have survived. If we did know, then we would have never stopped looking for you. I'm so sorry we lost all this time of being a family."

"Layla is right." Jude nodded. "Even as just a small child, you were everything to us. We were devastated when we lost you. But tell me, how did you survive?"

Lucy breathed out slowly, wondering how her parents were going to react to the truth.

"The fire wasn't an accident." She said. "A man, a horrible man, faked my death so that you would think I was no longer living."

"What?" Jude blurted out in a mixture of shock and anger. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Fane Delacrow was his name." She replied softly, looking for her mother's reaction. Her brown eyes held a mixture of surprise and sorrow.

"Fane?" She echoed, looking at the floor. "I knew him when we were just children. He always had a crush on me…"

"He was angry that you never loved him back." Lucy said gently. "He was angry that you chose Jude over him. He thought that in order to earn your love, he needed to become powerful. He was the one that kidnapped me all those years ago and faked my death. It was all a part of his plot for power."

Lucy went on to explain what had happened in finer detail. She told the story of her life in America and how she met Natsu along with the other Fairy Tail wizards. Natsu would help her occasionally with parts of the story that she left out as she narrated the tale of Fane's plan and the fight to stop him. Finally she ended by describing how she chose to return to Earthland.

"Although I wanted to be with Natsu and my new friends, I also wanted to meet the two of you. That's why I returned and that's why I'm here today."

Lucy finished her speech hesitantly. It was almost scary how quiet her parents were being during her monologue. She couldn't tell if they were happy, sad, angry or what.

"Wow." Was all Jude could mutter as he rubbed his mustache, unsure of what else to do with his hands.

"Wow is right." Layla said softly, nodding her head. New tears were forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry if any of this upset you." Lucy said hurriedly. "I want you to know that I don't blame either of you at all for what happened. It's not anyone's fault that a crazy psychopath was obsessed with you, mom."

Layla smiled weakly, giving Lucy the courage to continue.

"I am sad that we didn't get the chance to be a family while I grew up and yes I had a rough childhood, but I was adopted by two really nice people in America. I had a good life. I went to a nice school. I had a lot of nice things. I made a good friend in our family butler and then more recently I met friends that I'll have for the rest of my life. I really am happy and I'm so glad that I now have the two of you to share it with."

"I am so proud of you." Layla said, gaining more strength in her voice. "You are strong, kind, and full of spirit and I am so proud to know that you are my daughter. I only wish that I could take a partial claim in the person that you are today, but that's not true. You've done this all on your own. You've made friends, family and pursued your own future. I could not be more proud."

"Thanks mom. That means the world to me." Lucy responded, crying again as well. And then to her surprise, Layla stood up.

"I'll be right back." She excused herself politely and then hurried into another room. When she returned a few moments later she was carrying a small wooden box in her hands. She walked straight to Lucy and sat down on the couch next to her. "I want you to have this." She said.

Lucy took the box out of curiosity and examined it further. It was antique and whimsical with carved in patterns of starry skies. Tentatively, she flipped up the small latch on the box and opened it. Inside there were three golden keys sitting on a cushion of red velvet. Each key varied slightly in design, but all of them were shining with the brilliance of the stars themselves.

"These are beautiful." She breathed.

"They are more than just beautiful." Her mother told her softly. "As you know, I am a Celestial Spirit Wizard. These keys allow me to open gates to the Celestial Spirit world through which spirits pass on their way to our own world. These three keys belong to spirits that are my dear friends, so they are very precious to me. It's for that reason I want you to have them. I've always wanted to pass them down to my child and now I'm more sure than ever that they belong with you, my daughter."

"I can't possibly take them from you!" Lucy protested instantly, her eyes wide in shock at the idea her mom would do something like this for her. "They belong to you. I'm not even a wizard!"

"I have complete confidence that you can learn how to use them and I am even more certain that you will treat them with the love and respect they deserve. As for you worries about taking them, I have no doubt about my decision. I've been deprived years and years of spoiling you with things. Allow me this opportunity to make up for lost time."

"Okay." Lucy nodded in defeat, infinite gratitude breaking out into a smile on her face. "I'll take them and learn how to be a Celestial Spirit wizard just like you. Thank you so, so much. This really does mean the world to me."

"It's my greatest pleasure." Layla confirmed, opening her arms up for another hug. Lucy happily obliged and let herself sink into her mother's arms.

XXX

The day eventually turned into night as Lucy spent time with Natsu and her parents. Layla promised that she would give her lessons on how to use the gate keys while Jude offered to teach Lucy all he knew about business. Lucy and Natsu shared a laugh about that one before the blonde gently told her father that she had enough business talk for a life time and much rather him teach her how to fish. He swore that he would.

When the hour grew late and the moon was at its full height in the sky, Lucy finally was forced to say her farewells. She and Natsu needed to return to Magnolia for the night, but Lucy promised that she would be back soon.

"You are welcome any time." Her father had assured her.

"All the time." Her mothered added with a smile.

With a final farewell hug, Lucy and Natsu were back on their way, walking back to the train station for their trip home.

The trail they strode down was narrow and lined with packed dirt, cutting through a thick forest back into town. There were no lamps that gave light to the path, but that was hardly necessary because the combined radiance of the moon and stars gave more than enough light for the Fairy Tail members to see with. For the most part, the pair walked in an effortless silence that was only broken by the soft chirping of crickets in the background. Keeping an ear open for nature's music, Lucy continued to marvel at the still and beautiful night, remembering the time several months ago when Natsu and she looked up at America's night sky. Lucy had been blown away by the brilliance of the stars, but Natsu had remained unimpressed. And now Lucy knew why. Earthland boasted clusters of natural light racing playfully across the sky in whimsical streaks that decorated the darkness from horizon to horizon, filling the atmosphere with more stars than Lucy could have ever thought possible. It truly was a sight to behold.

Although Lucy could have stared at the sky for hours on end, Natsu brought her attention to something that was firmly situated on the ground.

"Hey, look, a willow tree." He said suddenly, pointing out a beautiful old tree that had seafoam green leaves drooping down towards the ground along with its apparently sagging dark brown branches. It was glimmering with the light of the moon and looked like it was straight out of a Fairy Tale.

"Do you remember the last time we were under a willow tree together?" Lucy asked with a sneaky smile.

"Wouldn't forget it." Natsu nodded. "It was at that stupid party and you had just gotten mad at me for jumping in the swimming pool."

"You got motion sick and passed out on a raft." Lucy joked.

"It happens to everyone!"

"Only to you." She shot back without skipping a beat. "And then you used that crazy nose of yours to sniff out a willow tree for us to sit beneath. It was almost as beautiful as this one."

"Can't let it go to waste then." Natsu said, grabbing Lucy's hand, pulling her with him beneath the branches of the willow tree. They sat down on the plush grass and looked up at the streaks of moonlight that found their way through the labyrinth of the long willow leaves.

"I was going to tell you how I felt about you that night." Lucy said a little more softly than before. "But then we got interrupted.

"I remember wanting to kiss you so badly." Natsu replied, adding his own confession to hers.

"Really?" Lucy said, pleasantly surprised. "Even back then?"

"Of course." Natsu answered without hesitation. "You were different right from the beginning."

"You mean like unique?" She blushed.

"Nah, I mean you were pretty weird."

"What?!" Lucy said, her blush fading away instantaneously. "That's rich coming from you! Everyone knows that you are the weird one in this relationship."

"Well, that's just not true."

"Do you remember that first day we met?" Lucy asked with a fond smile gracing her face. "You showed up late with bright pink hair and a strange white scarf and then argued with the teacher, earning yourself detention on day one. Pretty weird."

"What was I supposed to do? That guy was a jerk."

"Alright then, what about the time you tried to eat that Bunsen Burner flame in Biology?" Lucy teased, raising an eyebrow. "Or the time you smelled those hotdogs a mile away in New York? Admit it, you are much stranger than me."

"I will not admit it! Now that you know the truth about me, all of that makes perfect sense!"

"Yeah it does." Lucy agreed. "But it still doesn't mean you aren't a weirdo."

"Hey-"

"But you're my weirdo." Lucy cut him off before he could protest any further. Natsu smiled.

"Maybe I can admit to that one."

Lucy leaned forward to kiss him, but Natsu stopped her for a second.

"Hold on, I got something to tell you, Luce."

"In that case I have something to tell you too, Natsu." She admitted.

"You go first."

"Alright, then." She said. "I guess I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for everything. When we first met I felt alone and lost in the world. I was always sad and my life was going nowhere that I wanted it to go. I always dreamed of Fairy Tales and adventure, but I was never brave enough to pursue a happy ending myself. But then I met you and everything changed. You made me happy. You taught me what it means to be brave and you taught me what it means to have friends. You taught me how to put your life on the line for the things you care about and you taught me how it feels to be free."

Natsu reached out for a stray lock of hair and brushed it back into its place.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be here with you today. Somehow everything all came together and I'm the happiest that I've ever been. And it's all thanks to you, Natsu. You changed my life and gave me this amazing future."

"That's where you're wrong." Natsu said. "I may have stumbled into your world with a mission and a loud mouth, but I'm not the reason you're here right now. Just like your mom said, you are warm and kind, brave and strong, and you are the most amazing person I've ever known. You are the one that changed your future, Luce, not me."

Lucy smiled and leaned forward to rest her forehead on Natsu's, her shiny blonde locks mingling with Natsu's tufts of pink.

"You still had a little something to do with it though." Lucy whispered.

"Maybe just a little." He agreed with a chuckle.

"What was the thing you wanted to tell me?" Lucy asked after a few heartbeats of silence.

"It's funny." He replied. "I was going to tell you pretty much the same thing. You changed my life too, Luce, and I can't imagine what the world was like before you were in it. I can't wait to go on so many more adventures with you in the future."

"I can't wait either."

"Oh and there's just one more thing I wanted to say." He added with a devilish smile.

"Oh and what would that be?" Lucy teased, relishing the heat and relishing the closeness.

"I love you, Luce." He said, without a trace of doubt or hesitation in his voice. Lucy smiled wider than she had all day- and that was saying something.

"I've been waiting for you to say that for days, you idiot." Lucy said before she quickly leaned forward to crash her lips into Natsu's. She felt the dragon slayer grinning before finally sinking into the touch and returning her kiss with equal passion.

"Sorry." He murmured. "If you haven't noticed I can be a little slow sometimes."

"I know." Lucy said. "And that's why I love you too."

He kissed her again, but this time it only lasted for a few moments before he pulled away with a confused expression on his face.

"Wait, that's not the _only_ reason is it?"

"Can we have this conversation later?" Lucy giggled. "You're ruining the moment."

"I guess." Natsu shrugged, before he grinned that crooked grin Lucy loved so much. "After all we have the rest of our lives."

"I'm not sure if that's enough time." The girl said softly, looking up at Natsu with big brown doe eyes. Upon her gaze, Natsu softened and brushed his thumb down her cheek, admiring the girl sitting in front of him.

"If there's one thing I learned from our time in America, it's that every moment with you is precious. There's no way I'm going to waste a second of it."

"Well in that case we better get started." Lucy said, not breaking her eyes away from Natsu's. "We have our whole future in front of us. Where should we begin?"

"I think I have an idea." Natsu said and then kissed Lucy once more, allowing time to slow down around them as they enjoyed each other's embrace.

Flashes of Lucy's past memories raced through her mind in hazy fragments as she recalled all the pain, all the loneliness, all the confusion and all the fear that dominated her past. In that one moment with Natsu all of those concerns drifted away at last, clearing the way for a brighter and better future. And now, Lucy was finally ready for it.

THE END

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Wow, I can't believe this is finally all over! I can't help but be a little bit sad, how about you? However, I mostly feel extremely happy and proud of what this story has accomplished so far and although I was the one to write it, you guys were the ones that made it so special. That's why I just want to thank you all again a million times over for reading. I especially want to thank all of you who took the time to write a review for my story. If I ever needed a little energy boost to write, all I would have to do was read some of your lovely, encouraging words and I would feel inspired to keep plucking away.**

 **Like I said before, I am so happy with how this story turned out. Between chapter 19 and the epilogue, I feel like the whole story wrapped up very nicely. I especially love that while all 19 chapters took place in America, the prologue and epilogue were set in Earthland. It creates a nice symmetry that frames the story well.**

 **Unfortunately, I have to tell all of you that there will not be a sequel to** **A New World** **. I know a lot of you probably want one, but I simply cannot do it. I feel that I've told all the story there is to tell and I can't force myself to write something that I don't want to write. A little self-rule I keep for myself is to only write about things I'm passionate for. I was- and still am- so insanely enthusiastic about this story, but I don't want to drag on something that I think ended perfectly.  
**

 **On a brighter note, what I just said does not mean that I won't continue to write Fairy Tail fanfiction. If you like my writing or just like Nalu stories in general, then I highly recommend you check out the new story that I just posted titled A Cinderella Fairy Tail, which you can find by going to my profile page. It uses the basic plot of Cinderella, but I've flipped the roles so that Lucy is the royalty and Natsu is the one with an evil stepmother. If you liked A New World, I can almost guarantee that you'll like this story too! Honestly, I feel like it would be more enjoyable than a sequel. **

**Furthermore, I also have another story in the works that features Natsu and is a little darker than the two aforementioned Nalu stories. You probably won't see that one for a little bit longer since it's the sort of thing where I want to plan the whole story out before I write it (the process is longer that way, but ultimately worth it).**

 **Alright we are nearing the end of my final author's note for** **A New World** **. It really has been an amazing ride and I just want you all to know how much I truly appreciate you all. If you have any burning questions or comments, continue to write me messages or post in the review section because I will continue to love hearing what you have to say.**

 **Thank you all one more time; I hope you enjoyed the story!**


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